


A Soft Future

by mttrailblazer



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst and Fluff and Smut, Ben Solo Needs A Hug, Ben Solo is a Himbo, Canon-Typical Violence, Devoted Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Good Parent Han Solo, Han Solo Lives, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Non-Graphic Mention of Vomit, Past Child Abuse, Past Leia Organa/Han Solo, Redeemed Ben Solo, Rey Needs A Hug, Struggles with mental illness, Tender Sex, Unplanned Pregnancy, but they overcome them to love each other :), same situation with her, they both have dark pasts, this got a lot angstier than i was planning, you don't really know that he needs a hug until later on
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-26
Updated: 2020-12-26
Packaged: 2021-03-07 21:28:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 33,941
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26664466
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mttrailblazer/pseuds/mttrailblazer
Summary: Rey used to be sure of the future, used to have a plan and everything.  Now, she doesn't have a plan because according to the two little sticks in her hands that she just peed on, she’s pregnant at 23.  It’s a serious life changer.  She needs to call Ben.  If this is true, he’s the father.
Relationships: Armitage Hux/Rose Tico, Leia Organa/Han Solo, Poe Dameron/Finn, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 48
Kudos: 179





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This isn't finished, but I want to be motivated to finish it, so here's the first part. I've been holding onto it forever, so here goes nothing.
> 
> Also, this is based off of this prompt:https://twitter.com/yesdnilindsey/status/1288935183270531083

Rey used to be very sure of the future. She used to be sure that she was going to wait until she was in her late twenties to start looking for the person she wanted to spend the rest of her life with, until she was thirty to start trying for kids. She was going to focus on her career until then, start a retirement fund, and live life for herself. But those two stupid blue lines …

Now she no longer had a plan because, well … According to the two little sticks in her hands that she had just peed on, she was pregnant at 23. It was a serious life changer. She needed to call Ben. If this was true, he was the father. He would know what to do, seeing as he had a little more experience in life at 32.

But there were so many other factors to this story that Rey couldn’t help but recount as she sat on the toilet and contemplated the meaning of life.

****

**A Month Ago …**

Rey wasn’t too keen on going out tonight. Don’t get her wrong, she loved hanging out with her friends. Rose and Finn and she were a great trio, had been since high school. But ever since Finn had started dating Poe and got married and Rose had started dating Armie, Rey had been a little more likely to spend a night on her own. She would be doing that tonight, but Rose and Finn had promised that Ben - Poe and Armie’s single friend - would be there as well.

So she got dressed up. She wore her favorite skirt - it was black and sequined and made her ass look great - and a maroon shirt that brought out her freckles. With black heels on her feet and a dark theme of makeup on her face, she felt good as she climbed into the backseat of Rose and Armie’s car.

“You look hot, Reybae,” Rose exclaimed from the passenger seat as she and her ginger boyfriend turned to look at her with big smiles on their faces.

“Thank you, and you look gorgeous as always,” Rey replied, buckling her seatbelt. Then she smiled at Armie and says, “And how are you, Armie? You look good as well.” Armie’s smile turned anxious, and Rey quickly realized that he was finally going to propose to Rose tonight. 

Her smiles softened as he informed her, “I’m doing alright. I’m really excited about tonight.” 

“Me too.” The two British friends shared a secretive smile before he turned back around to face the road in front of them.

“Alright, are we ready?” he questioned, glancing at the tiny woman in the seat next to him. The two women cheered in excitement, and Armie grinned as they get on their way.

Not too long after, they arrived at the classy restaurant Armie had made reservations at, and they waited outside with the others. It wasn’t even ten minutes later that Poe and Finn showed up hand in hand. “Hey!” Finn shouted in greeting, hugging Rey and Rose. Poe and Armie just patted each other on the shoulder. “God, Rey, you look like you’re on the hunt tonight,” Finn pointed out as he pulled away.

Before Rey could say anything, Rose added, “Doesn’t she?” 

The tall brunette bashfully smiled and murmured, “I just felt good tonight.” Her two friends beamed at her.

“She’s going to kill poor Ben,” Poe muttered under his breath, and all three Rose, Finn, and Armie gave him pointed looks while Rey just blushed. “They’re not wrong, Rey, you look amazing,” Poe said aloud, stepping forward and pulling her into a hug.

“Thank you,” Rey whispered as she hugged him back.

After they pulled away, Armie asked him, “Solo did say that he was coming, right?” 

Poe nodded and explained, “Yeah, he said he was coming back from his dad’s.”

As soon as Poe finished speaking, the Millennium Falcon came tearing through the parking lot with Jimi Hendrix blaring from the speakers. Light-hearted insults fell from Poe and Armie’s lips, and Rey smiled fondly at the timing that the hurricane that was Ben Solo had. He did a shitty job parking, but made no move to fix it as he turned the engine off and climbed out of the old car.

“Nice job parking, asshole,” Armie called as the hulking man pulled his leather jacket on and walked over.

“Shut up, Hux,” he spit, though it came out much fonder than Rey thought he had planned. His expression softened as he looked at Rose and stated, “Rose, you look beautiful as always.” Rose grinned as he leaned down to kiss her cheek. Then he turned to Poe and Finn and curtly greeted, “Damerons.” Poe gave him a smug smile while Finn just nodded.

Finally, Ben turned to Rey. His deep brown eyes slid down to her feet and then back up to her eyes. She was sure the blush she got from Poe’s comment spread down to her neck and chest as he nodded at her with this twinkle in his eyes and declared, “Rey, you look stunning.” 

Rey was also sure that everyone saw the intense look in his eyes as she smiled gently and replied, “Thank you. You look great as well, Ben.” Poe and Armie exchanged a strange look as Ben got a satisfied smile on his face.

While Rose smirked down at the ground, Finn adopted an uncomfortable expression on his face and said, “Okay, are we good to go?” Everyone nodded in affirmation, and Armie led everyone in.

Almost immediately, they were led to a round table with decent lighting. Rey sat next to Ben while Armie excused himself to go to the restroom. At first, she thought she was the only one to notice that he slipped off to talk to the host instead. When she turned back to the table, she saw that Ben had noticed the same thing. They made eye contact and chuckled at each other while Poe, Finn, and Rose got into a conversation about how they all had been doing.

“Is he doing what I think he’s doing?” Rey whispered quietly enough so that she didn’t catch the others’ attention. The handsome man next to her gave a dazzling grin and nodded his head. “I’m excited,” she murmured, setting her purse at her feet.

“Me too.” They both smiled down at the table and went quiet. She sat awkwardly for a moment before realizing that he was kind of her partner in crime for the night.

Quickly turning back to Ben, she tucked her hair behind her ear and asked, “Poe said you came from your dad’s?” He lifted his head and looked at her like he was delightfully surprised at her question. Understanding what he’s thinking, she just smiled hopefully. That earned her a rapid nod, so she continued, “How was that?” 

Cautiously studying her, he answered, “It was alright. It was my dad’s.” She nodded supportively, and that got him talking more. “We had a good time, but it was weird without my mom, you know?” Rey didn’t know, but she nodded anyway. “We used to not get along, but ever since my mom passed, we’ve been really trying. It’s been good to try again.” 

“That’s good, Ben. I’m so happy that you have your dad there for you,” she told him as Armie sat down on the other side of her.

Ben smiled gratefully at her and responded, “Me too. Anyway, how are you? How’s work? Are you still working at that garage?” 

She was partially surprised that he still remembered that. They hadn’t really spoken in a few months, not since Poe and Finn’s wedding six months before. She had been Finn’s maid of honor and he’d been Poe’s best man, so they were sat together all night. They hadn’t talked in depth about themselves too much, too focused on making sure everything went smoothly, but they had managed to share a few facts about themselves over dinner at the reception.

“Um, yeah, actually. I’m looking for an actual engineering job because that’s what I got my degree in, but … It pays the bills, I suppose.” 

He frowned and inquired, “Is that asshole, Plutt, still bothering you?” Her eyebrows shot up because she didn’t remember ever mentioning her boss’ name. Still, she nodded as the waiter appeared and took her attention away. Ben continued to look at her for just a second before looking at the waiter as well.

The waiter quickly took their orders, and Ben and Rey shared a smile as Armie ordered champagne for everyone at the table. Once the waiter was done, he walked away and Armie looked like he could sweat through his black blazer. Rey watched Ben make the decision to distract him from his nerves. “Hux, how has work been?” 

Both Rey and Ben gazed at the lawyer as he explained to them, “Well, since Snoke got booted, incredibly easy.” He gave Ben a kind smile and jokingly added, “No thanks to you.” Ben just nodded and smirked secretively at him.Rey wondered what the secret was.

Then Rose squeaked, “Oh, Rey!” Rey swiftly met her gaze as she asked, “Did you tell Ben what you won this week?” 

Rey giggled and told Ben, “I won a thousand dollars from the lottery this week.” Ben raised his eyebrows and grinned at her. She deliberately did not look at his cute smile as she continued, “It immediately was sent to my student debt. After all I’ve paid, I’m three quarters of the way to freedom.” 

“That’s great, Rey. I’m very lucky my mom helped me pay. I would’ve been lost if not for her.” She smiled warmly and nodded in understanding.

Then, in a far quieter tone, he offered, “You know, I could help you get set up at my dad’s garage in Chandrila. You shouldn’t have to put up with Plutt just because you’re waiting for something better.” Rey’s heart swelled up at the thought of Ben Solo offering her help.

But she had always struggled with the idea of someone possibly having something to hold over her head. “Thank you, Ben, that’s so kind of you. But I’m okay. I’m so close to being out.” He studied her for a second before nodding respectfully.

The waiter reappeared with six flutes of champagne. Instantly, everyone except Rose spotted the ring in the flute set in front of her. Everyone waited with bated breaths as Rose lifted the glass and began to drink. After a brief moment, she spotted the ring. Lowering the glass, she looked at Armie with wide, brown eyes.

Armie just smiled at her and said, “Rosie, I love you more than words can say. I’ve spent the last two and a half years tripping after you because I knew that you were it for me. I’m ready to officially be bound to you for life, stuck with you for the rest of our days, but only if you’ll have me. So will you marry me, Rosie?” 

Rose stared at him in awe for a few seconds before nodding her head and saying, “Yes, oh my god, Armie! Yes!” Everyone at the table clapped and cheered as he pulled her into a tight embrace.

As things settled down and Rose fished the ring out of her glass, she and Armie kissed, and Poe and Finn kissed as well. Rey awkwardly looked down at the table, feeling the slightest bit of jealous. Before she could begin a pity party for herself, Ben grabbed her hand under the table and squeezed it gently. She turned to him and he just offered her a smile that screamed, “We’ll be alright.” She smiled back and found herself very agreeable.

The rest of the night went swimmingly, and Rey found that she actually didn’t regret going out with them, despite how all over each other both couples were. It was fine because Ben distracted her with his funny stories and pretty eyes. By the end of the night, it was clear that Armie and Rose needed a private celebration and Poe and Finn were ready to be on their own as well.

As they walked out of the restaurant, Ben offered, “If you want, I can give you a ride home so you don’t have to deal with the lovebirds.” Rey looked at Armie and Rose, who were clearly mooning over one another. Then she turned back to him with a slightly embarrassed smile and nodded. Ben grinned at her and then called, “Hux, I’m going to take Rey home!”

Armie and Rose looked back at them. “Are you sure? We can just drop you real quick,” Rose told Rey, and Rey nodded her head.

“No, yeah, I’ll be fine with Ben.” Armie studied her closely, since he had always been known for sniffing out the truth. Then he nodded as well and looked at Ben.

“Take care of her, Solo.” Ben smirked and playfully saluted his best friend. Then the newly engaged couple went their own way, and Ben and Rey turned to each other.

With an easy-going expression on his face, he said, “So I could drop you off at home, or we could go back to my place and watch a movie. I’ve got a six pack and some pizza rolls waiting for us.” Rey considered it for a moment. She didn’t have to worry about being home at any certain time, she didn’t have to work in the morning, and she could just relax and be herself around Ben.

“Sure, as long as the movie isn’t shit like what Armie watches,” she jokingly conditioned. Ben’s easy-going expression turned smug as he began leading her to the Falcon.

“I can’t promise you that, but I can promise you a good time.” She beamed and slid into the passenger seat.

As soon as he turned the engine on, he turned the CD player off and she stated, “This is a really nice car. I’m actually jealous of you, Ben Solo.” 

He smiled and told her, “I’ll let you drive it sometime.” She couldn’t be bothered to hide her giddy grin as he pulled out of the parking lot and took off. “So how did a ray of sunshine like yourself become friends with someone like _Finn Storm_?”

She frowned at the tone he said Finn’s name with, but still answered, “We were in a foster home together. We’ve been really close since I was thirteen.” 

Ben’s brown eyes widened and he muttered, “You’re an orphan?” 

Rey knew that the only way to not feel someone’s pity was to act like she wasn’t something to be pitied, so she shrugged casually and informed him, “Yep, my parents left me at a gas station when I was five, and I like to think they died in a car accident pretty quickly after that.” Ben glanced at her, his mouth slightly agape, and she just looked at him. She wouldn't feel embarrassed for struggling like she had, she wouldn’t feel the pain her parents left her with.

“So you don’t actually know what happened to them?” 

“Never cared enough to figure out what happened, so nope.” He glanced at her again, keeping his eyes on her this time. “Eyes on the road, grandpa,” she teased, successfully changing the subject.

Playfully scoffing, he said, “Thank you for making me feel old, Johnson.” 

“I don’t even know how old you are,” she responded honestly.

Pulling into a gorgeous gated community, he informed her, “I’m thirty-two.” 

“Wow, you are old!” He rolled his eyes, and she couldn’t help the laughter that bursted out of her. “I’m just joking. Isn’t Poe like thirty-five?” 

Ben nodded as he drove deeper into the community. “Anyway, how old are you?” 

“Twenty-three. Your age, but backwards.” He hummed while parking in his garage. “Wow, we haven’t even been inside and I can already tell that it’s better than my place.” 

Meeting her eyes, he genuinely offered, “If you ever need a place to stay or even if you just want to stay somewhere else for a night, my door is always open.” She smiled softly, and they climbed out of the car. He led her inside and said, “You want the full tour?” 

“If you’d like to.” He led her around his house, which wasn’t ginormous but still pretty large. He showed her the kitchen, the guest bedroom, his bedroom, the bathroom, the dining room, and the living room. “I don’t know what I was expecting from Ben Solo’s _bachelor pad_ , but it’s really nice here.”

Scratching the back of his neck, Ben responded, “Well, like I said, you’re welcome any time.” Rey nodded gratefully and smiled sweetly at him. He gazed down at her for a moment before declaring, “Alright, pick out a movie, and I’ll go get those pizza rolls and the beer.” Quickly showing her the remotes, he leaved to get the pizza rolls started and bring the beer back to the living room.

By the time he joined her with the six pack, she had chosen a film and kicked her heels off. While he set the beer on the coffee table and yanked his jacket off, she curled up on the black sofa and popped open one of the beers. “What’d you pick?” he asked, sitting on the other end of the couch and popping open another beer.

“The Witch.” 

“Oh, nice choice.” 

They were quiet for awhile, just appreciating the film. She was pretty sure that Ben glanced over at her every few seconds, but she kept to herself. She didn’t really mind the silence, especially when Ben clearly didn’t mind it either.About a quarter of the way through the film, he got up to check the food and came back with a platter of homemade pizza rolls. “Oh my god! Did you make these yourself?” she asked, having gone without real homemade food since she moved out on her own without Finn and Rose three years ago.

She scooted closer to the middle of the couch and he sat next to her as he set the platter down next to the beers and told her, “Yes, I did. Everything I eat is homemade.” She couldn’t help but stare at him in wonder and he noticed. “What?” 

“I never get the chance to eat homemade food. I work so much that I’m stuck with TV dinners unless we go out like tonight.” 

Smirking at her, he stated, “If you and I start hanging out more, I’ll make you food.” She smiled and nodded her head. “Seriously, Rey, if you want, I could hook you up with a job with my dad. You’d get better hours, better pay. I’m sure he would love you.” 

“I’ll consider it. I just don’t know, Ben.” 

With a hesitant expression on his face, he murmured, “You know, it’s okay to accept people’s help sometimes.” She stared at him for just a second before looking back to the TV, having nothing to say to that. He frowned and let it go, going for the pizza rolls.

They worked their way through the beer and stayed quiet through most of the film, except when she squeaked at the events near the end of the movie. Ben tried to stifle his laughter, but a little slipped through and she playfully glared at him whenever it did. He held his hands up in mock surrender, and she grinned.

Once the movie was over, Rey shuddered and Ben smiled at her. “That really got you, huh?” 

Playfully rolling her eyes, she responded, “It’s just the idea of the devil coming to a young girl like that. Old men preying on young girls just hits a little too close to him.” Ben frowned and nodded in understanding. “Being in a foster home teaches you how to protect yourself.” She half expected him to apologize for her having gone through that, but he didn’t.

Instead, he picked at his jeans and told her, “I won’t pretend to understand what that’s like, but my parents were never home when I was young. My dad was always going on road trips with my uncle, and my mom was busy with her career. They always left me with some nanny who didn’t want to be around. One of the nannies came at me with a knife when I was two. My dad came home just in time to stop her. When I was eleven, they just gave up and sent me to live with my uncle because I couldn’t get along with the nannies or anyone else for that matter.

“My uncle ran this school for kids with behavioral issues, and so I went. I struggled to make friends and it seemed like I was still the problem child. There was one night that my dad tried to visit, and my uncle wouldn’t let him. I was eighteen by then, so I fought with my uncle. He tried to kill me, just like that nanny, so I ran. His school was destroyed in some fire, and I didn’t have any part in it, but he blamed it on me and went off the grid.

“I went to law school, and my mom would send money, but we didn’t talk. I couldn’t, I just couldn’t face her after Luke. So I cut off ties with my family and ran to my old boss Snoke. I busted my ass working for him, and Hux and I hated each other because he pitted us against each other. Snoke made me think I was worthless, that my parents didn’t love me, that I would never be loved.

“Then my mom got sick. I realized where I needed to be, but Snoke didn’t like that. He tried to keep me from going to be with my mom. I tried to get Hux to cover me while I was gone, but when he heard my story, he and I worked together to kick Snoke out. Then I went home, just in time to watch my mom slip away.

“I’m still a monster, but I knew I couldn’t intentionally be one anymore. I quit, gave Hux the firm, and got a good job near my dad’s place in Chandrila. I like to think I’m doing a lot better now.” 

Rey gazed at Ben, trying to wrap her brain around the fact that he had at least a fraction of a clue of what it was like to hurt as she had. He knew the emotional turmoil of being abandoned. “You know what it’s like to be alone,” she remarked, taking his hand and squeezing. He turned to look at her, his cheeks turning a light shade of red, and she got a peek into the real him. Not the cocky mask he put on to fool everyone else, but the real Ben Solo, who had feelings and a penchant for helping people.

“You’re not alone, Rey,” he stated, lifting her hand in his and kissing her knuckles.

Rey sighed softly and whispered, “Neither are you.” They gazed at each other for just a moment.

Then he leaned forward, their hands crushed between them, and kissed her. She inhaled sharply and her hands came up to cup his cheeks. His lips were softer than she had imagined, and his approach was a lot more drawn back than she had thought it would be. It was the kiss of a man who wanted to make sure she actually wanted it.

After a moment, he pulled back and studied her face. “Are you drunk?” he questioned, reaching up to gently caress her face.

Shaking her head, she replied, “Are you?” He shook his head as well. They stared at each other for just another second before both of them jumped forward to kiss again.

Their teeth clacked together, and they tore apart, both laughing nervously. “Let’s try that again,” she murmured, leaning forward and going for a much easier kiss this time.

He smiled into the kiss and wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her closer. Without stopping the kiss, he pulled her into his lap so her legs were going one way and her skirt wouldn’t be stretched or torn. He hummed into the kiss and squeezed her hips. When her fingers grazed his ears, he quickly grabbed her wrists and sighed, “Sunshine.” 

She pulled away and smiled at him. “Are your ears sensitive?” His face turned a little pink, and she couldn’t help but beam at him. As he buried his face in her neck, she giggled and added, “It’s cute, Ben.” He just softly growled and squeezed her ass.

“You’re going to use that against me, aren’t you?” he murmured into her neck.

Running a hand through his soft hair, she responded, “Only when it’s for good.” He sighed, pulled his face out of her neck, and playfully glared at her. She just smiled and kissed him again. She kept her hand in his hair and slid her other hand down his chest. His large, strong hands pulled her impossibly closer, and he moaned into her mouth.

Swiftly, she pulled away and stood up, holding her hand out to him. His eyebrows shot up, and she requested, “Take me to your bedroom?” He gazed up at her in amazement for just a second before taking her hand and standing from the couch. With her soft, capable hand in his, he led her to his bedroom and pressed her back against the door once he had closed it behind them.

She grinned at him as he mouthed at her collarbone. “You look so fucking good in these clothes, but I want you naked,” he declared, pulling back to tug her shirt off. The process made her hair crazy and her shirt got stuck on her wrists. They laughed together as he pulled a little harder and tossed the shirt onto the floor.

Immediately, his eyes went to her breasts in her lacy, black bra. “God, Rey, you’re so fucking perfect.” Her heart raced as he undid the hooks of her bra and slowly dragged it down her arms. She ran her hands through his hair while he leaned down and pressed his lips to her right nipple.

“Ben,” she sighed, her fingers grazing his ears again. He grunted and swirled his tongue around her nipple. She leaned her head back against the door and realized how wet she already was. It usually took her awhile to get aroused like this, even when she was by herself, but Ben had somehow managed to get her absolutely drenched in such a short period of time.

He reached behind her and dragged the zipper of her skirt down, pulling away from her breast. As he dropped the skirt to her ankles, she went to step out of it and almost fell on her face. Swiftly catching her, he grinned and pecked her cheek. “You’re so cute.” 

Pushing his face away, she scoffed, “I feel like we are vastly uneven in the amount of clothes we’re currently wearing.” He smiled at her and tossed her back onto the bed. She giggled and ran her hands over the black sheets while he started unbuttoning his black shirt and stood at the foot of the bed. Quickly getting up on her knees, she knelt in front of him and pushed his shirt down his arms. “God, you’re beautiful, Ben Solo,” she whispered, running her fingers down his toned abdomen.

His brown eyes regarded her with such adoration as he cupped her face and replied, “I’m nowhere close to you, sunshine.” As her fingers deftly found his belt and worked on pulling it off of him, she kissed down his chest and abdomen. “Rey,” he whispered, pushing her hair back so he could see her gorgeous face. She pushed his dark jeans down his long legs and he stepped out of them without any issues, unlike her.

Eyeing his black boxer briefs, she pulled at her own lace, black panties and joked, “We’re matching.” A big, goofy grin overtook his face, and she giggled as he pressed their lips together again.

She went to wrap her arms around his shoulders, but he pulled away to say, “Can I taste you?” Her green eyes widened, and she had to stare at him in shock. No man had ever asked her if they could taste her. Usually, she was the one begging them to taste her. 

Ben must have taken her shock for apprehension because he started rambling, “We don’t have to if you don’t want to. I was just thinking I could make you feel good. That’s all I want to do, Rey, and I’m pretty sure I’m good at it.” 

She quickly cut him off and stated, “Ben, I want that so much. You just surprised me.” He sighed in relief, and she reached up to intentionally skim her fingers over his ears.

“Hey!” he exclaims, tackling her onto the bed. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she laughed and kissed him. He hummed out a deep chuckle and settled his hips between her thighs. Then he began kissing his way down her body and she sighed, perfectly content in this moment. “You’re so pretty, Rey,” he murmured against her skin and she carded her fingers through his hair.

“So are you, Ben.” He smiled up at her before sliding her panties down her legs and sprawling kisses over her thighs. A fire burned deep in her stomach as she let her head fall back and breathed shakily.

He teased her, the bastard that he was, by kissing, nipping, licking everywhere except where she really needed it. Rey prided herself in being stubborn and independent, but almost immediately, Ben had pleas slipping past her lips. They didn’t even speed him up any. Even with her begging for him, he continued to tease and take his time with her. While she did enjoy it, she was ready for him to follow through.

“C’mon, Ben, no more teasing,” she begged, pushing at his shoulders. Finally, he caved, leaning down and licking a thick stripe into her heat. “Yes, Ben,” she sighed, pressing her head back into the pillows. He gave it only another moment before completely diving in. She gasped desperately and tugged at his hair. Quickly, he took her hands in his own and threaded their fingers together.

As she rolled her hips forward, he moaned and licked into her cunt. “You taste so good, Rey,” he groaned through his licks. She wiggled, so he wrapped his lips around her clit and sucked. She let out a high-pitched, breathy moan and squeezed his hands. Giving her clit a rest, he murmured, “You’re so good for me, Rey.” A long whine fell out of her mouth and he knew he had it right.

So he dove back in with full intent to make her cum. He thrusted his tongue into her and let his nose brush against her clit, he let go of her hands and reached up to play with her nipples, and he made sure to give moans of appreciation every few seconds. She squirmed and wriggled around the whole time, whining his name and gently tugging at his hair. She lifted her head just to see her gorgeous Ben’s head between her thighs.

 _Her_ gorgeous Ben? She couldn’t let herself go down that train of thought.

Moving his thumb down to rub at her clit, he pulled back to tell her, “Cum for me, Rey. Be my good girl and cum.” The possessive endearment was what sent her over the edge, and she gasped brokenly. As she cried out his name, he held her waist and sucked on her clit again. He swirled his tongue over it and she saw stars.

It took several moments for her to come back down. He climbed back up to rest his hips between her thighs and held her as she caught her breath. “You did such a good job for me, Rey. Are you okay?” he whispered, brushing her hair out of her face.

It was another moment before she moved to meet his gaze. He gently smiled at her and whispered, “Hi, sunshine. You with me?” Gradually smiling back, she nodded and kissed his cheek.

“Thank you. That was amazing, Ben. Thank you.” 

Shaking his head, he replied, “You don’t have to thank me, Rey. I think I wanted to do that more than you did.” She giggled and shook her head, grabbing the back of his neck and pressing her lips against his. He groaned against her mouth, entangling their tongues, as he reached down in between them and slowly glided a finger into her. Her head fell back again and she breathed his name. “Can you be patient for me as I get you ready for my cock?” he said, his voice dropping an octave.

“Yes, I can,” she whimpered, lifting her head to meet his eyes. Using his other hand to rub at her clit, he smirked and pressed his lips to her nose. Then he started moving his finger in her to stretch her out for two. She whined and wrapped her arms around his neck, trying to stay grounded with the pleasure he was giving her.

It wasn’t long at all before he was easily gliding another finger into her. “You’re going to be good for me, aren’t you, Rey? You’re going to let me stretch you out and make you feel good?” he said, watching her green eyes roll back in her head as he crooked his fingers and hit her g-spot.

“Yes, Ben, yes. I’ll be good for you.” He grinned as she spread her legs a little to give him space. “Please, please.”

“Be patient for me, Rey. You can do it.” She absolutely drenched his hand and he kissed her neck. “It’s okay, sunshine. I’ve got you.” 

“I’m going to cum, Ben.” 

“That’s okay, sweetheart. You can cum as many times as you need to.” She grabbed a fistful of his hair and thrusted her hips in time with his hands. Then she began clenching around his fingers and wiggling around wildly. “Come on, Rey, I want to see it. I want to see you feel good.” And she was cumming around his fingers. He leaned down to kiss her breasts and helped her ride it out.

Once she came back down again, he smiled up at her and kissed her lips. “I think you’re ready for me, sunshine,” he stated, sliding his fingers out and sitting back.

“Do you have a condom? Just to be safe,” she replied, her eyes widening as he pulled his boxers off and revealed his cock. “Also, are you sure that’s going to fit?” 

As he leaned over to his bedside table, he chuckled and told her, “It’ll fit, I promise. And I do have a condom.” She watched him closely as he pulled a condom and a bottle of lube out of one of his drawers. “You can never have too much lube,” he murmured, tearing the condom open and going to roll it on.

It snapped almost instantly, and she stifled a chuckle as he cursed under his breath. Swiftly, she sat up and grabbed another condom. “Let me put it on.” Obediently, he waited for her while she tore it open and began rolling it on. She was gentle, and her soft touch forced him to bury his face in her neck and attempt to control his breathing. Once it was on all the way, she pulled away and told him, “I’ll let you apply as much lube as you want.” 

Ben shuddered out a breath before sitting up and grabbing the bottle of lube. He slathered both himself and her up with a good amount of lube, and she waited patiently for him to be satisfied. Once he was, he fell forward, holding himself up above her. Reaching up to clasp her hands around his neck, she questioned, “Are you ready?” 

With a soft smile, he nodded and began to guide himself into her. As he slowly slid into her, he buried his face in her neck again and groaned softly. “Oh, Rey, I’ve thought about this for such a long time.” She couldn’t even process that comment, too focused on the feeling of his length sliding into her.

It didn’t take very long until Ben was fully inside of her, thanks to her stretching and his application of lube. He sat stock still for several moments, and Rey just rubbed the back of his neck. “It’s okay, Ben. Take your time. I’m right here.” He growled and then began slowly rolling his hips.

“You feel so good, Rey.” 

“So do you, Ben.” She reached down in between them to play with her clit, and he kissed and nipped at her neck. “You can go faster and harder, Ben.” He complied and she was on edge immediately. 

Clenching the sheets in his fists, he admitted, “Rey, I might cum.” 

“That’s okay, me too. I’m going to cum too.” 

“You first.” He pushed her hand out of the way and quickly rubbed at her clit. “Come on, Rey. I wanna feel it. I wanna feel you cum on my cock.” She wrapped her legs tightly around his waist and bucked her hips into his. He sped his hand up just a little and sent her into another orgasm.

“God, Ben,” she squeaked, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and hugging him close.

“You’re being so good for me, Rey. You’re cumming so good for me,” he snarled, biting her shoulder as he spilled into the condom. The only sounds in the room after that were the sounds of their skin slapping together and him groaning into her neck.

When Rey finally calmed down, she scraped her fingers against his scalp and helped him ride the rest of his orgasm out. He gasped into her neck and came back down as well. She rubbed his back, and he let her for a moment before rolling off of her. They lied side by side, and he pulled the condom off and tied it. “I’m sorry that was so quick,” he mutters, tossing the condom into the little trash can beside his bed.

“Does it matter? It was good,” she breathed, and they looked at each other.

“Do you want to spend the night?” he asked, lying down and pulling her into his side. 

She laid her head on his chest and sighed, “I probably shouldn’t, but I suppose I can take a short nap.” Ben smiled down at Rey and brushed his fingers through her hair.

“A short nap, huh?” Pretty shortly after, they were both passed out.

It might be the best night of sleep that Rey had ever gotten. Ben’s mattress was memory foam and she felt like she was lying on a cloud. When she woke up, they had moved around so that Rey was the big spoon and her face was pressed against the space in between his shoulder blades. He was snoring softly and she liked how he smelt.

Clearing her throat, she rasped out, “Ben.” He twitched and she poked her nose into his back. “Ben, I have to go home.” The raven-haired man coughed and looked at her over his shoulder.

“Do you have to go home? You can just stay … here … in bed … with me.” 

She smiled and leaned forward to press her lips against his. “I would love to, but I have some things to do at home and I have to get to work around two.” 

Ben quickly rolled over and groaned, “Ugh, quit your job, Rey.” She chuckled and shook her head, sitting up and pushing her hair out of her face. Bending his arm behind his head and gazing at her, he added, “Seriously, Rey, Plutt is a jackass. Anyone could tell you that. That job with my dad would be so much better.” 

As she reached down to grab her underwear, she responded, “I don’t know, Ben. There are a lot of things I have to consider. Like the commute to Chandrila, I don’t have a car.” 

She stood to pull on her clothes, and he sat up to respond, “I could drive you.” She stopped with just her underwear on and looked at him carefully.

“Ben, I have to take some time to think about it,” she said slowly, resting her hands on her hips. He sighed and nodded in understanding. “Now, I’d love to get home with enough time to eat lunch, shower, and mentally prepare myself for work today.” He hummed and stood up to get dressed as well. 

****

**Presently …**

What Rey really thought was that there was no meaning to life and she needed to talk to Ben. She called his phone number as she walked into her bedroom and found some clothes for the day. The call immediately sent her to his voice mail, and frustration ran hot through her. She sighed and called Rose instead, knowing that Rose would understand and help her out.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rose gives Rey a ride to see Ben at his place of work, and Ben and Rey talk about how their futures are now intertwined over dinner.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I probably shouldn't be posting this because I haven't finished the next chapter, but why not push myself harder? Anyway, enjoy!

“So when did you guys sleep together?” Rose asked a little incredulously as she drove Rey to Chandrila. Rey couldn’t take her eyes off ofthat engagement ring on her finger and thinking about what that night had meant for both of these women.

“The night Armie asked you to marry him, Ben said he was going to take me home. We ended up back at his place and hung out for awhile. Then we kind of just …” She trailed off because Rose got the point, but also, they were pulling into Ben’s place of work. “Wait, he works at a school?” she breathed, studying the middle school they were pulling up on.

Rose smiled and nodded her head. “Yeah, he’s the librarian. He’s really good with kids, believe it or not. Armie says he was ruthless in court, but it’s really hard to believe if you’ve ever seen him with a kid.” Rey’s heart swelled a little as Rose parked the car and turned to her. “Do you want me to go in with you?” 

The tall brunette considered the situation for a second. She didn’t know Ben very well, wasn’t sure how he’ll react. She thought it would be calm, if he was good with kids, but she didn’t know. “Please,” she found herself murmuring. Rose nodded with an understanding smile on her lips and turned the engine off.

They walked into the building that looked like it had a lot of care put into it. It was clean and colorful, and Rey really wished she had grown up around here so she could have had the chance to be in such a friendly environment. Rose pulled her into the front office, though she spotted Ben almost immediately. 

As Rose checked them in as visitors, Rey watched the handsome man - dressed in a light blue button-up tucked into some navy blue dress pants, looking very different from that night a month ago - stand on a step ladder and hang a few decorations by the “Media Center” sign. A young girl stood next to the ladder, holding a good stack of decorations, and she handed one to Ben every few moments. Rey smiled at the big grin on Ben’s face as he joked around with the student.

“Reybae, I need your ID.” Rey quickly spun around and looked at Rose, who was smiling at her along with the secretary. 

“Right, of course.” She pulled her wallet out of her bag and slid her ID out, handing it to the kind-looking woman. As she went over both Rey and Rose’s IDs, Rey turned back to look at Ben again. The tall man with his hair tucked into a bun stepped down from the ladder, patted the girl on the shoulder in a warm, paternal way, and sent her on her way with a grin of adoration.

Rose smirked at her and whispered, “I told you he was good with kids.” Rey turned back to her and tried not to blush too hard at being caught. 

The nice woman behind the front desk handed their IDs back and said, “So you’re here for Mr. Solo? I think you’ve come at a perfect time, he’s on his lunch break right now. He’ll be in the library right across the way.”

“Thank you,” Rey called as Rose led her out of the front office.

Ben was facing away from them closing the step ladder, and Rey had a moment where she thought the best course of action might have been to run and hide under her bed for the rest of her life. But then Rose gave her a hard shove, and she gasped, and Ben turned to them. His eyes widened, and her eyes widened, and she thought she could vomit everywhere. She had not realized he was wearing glasses.

“Rey?” 

Her brain was seemingly not connected to her mouth right now because the first thing she could force out was, “The glasses and bun are a good look on you.” Rose snorted behind her, and Ben flared his nostrils like he was trying not to laugh. Great … This was going just great. 

Finally, her brain rebooted, and she cleared her throat. “Sorry, I … I don’t mean to intrude, but I needed to talk to you and you weren’t picking up your phone.”

He frowned, briefly noticing Rose, and replied, “Well, yes, Rey, I’m at work. I don’t generally answer my phone at work, or turn it on for that matter. Why, what’s going on?” Rey took a deep breath, and then looked at the line of chattering children walking their way. 

Both she and Rose quickly stepped back as the children called Ben “Mr. Solo” and waved at him. “Hi, guys, how was lunch?” he asked, glancing at Rey as the kids gathered around him.

One of the shorter kids told him, “It was mac and cheese. You’re really missing out, Mr. Solo.” 

Rey tried not to smile too hard as Ben responded, “Well, I’m more than happy with my ham sandwich.” The kids started chattering again, and Ben grinned as an older woman walked up.

“Alright, kiddos, let’s go back to class. Thanks, Ben.” He gave a playful salute, and all the kids giggled as they walk away.

Then he looked back to Rey and, after a deep breath, questioned, “So what’s up?”

Nervously scratching the back of her neck, she said, “Can we go somewhere more private to talk about it?” His eyes giving a nervous flare, he nodded and gestured for them to follow him into the library. She glanced back at Rose and they followed him into the currently empty library.

“We can go into my office.” 

Knowing that the two needed privacy and Rey to do this herself, Rose stopped at one of the tables and said, “I’ll just … stay out here.” Ben frowned again, but still walked into his office and closed the door behind Rey.

“So … is everything okay?” he asked, watching Rey wring her fingers.

She took a deep, steadying breath before meeting his eyes and whispering, “I’m pregnant.” He didn’t really react at first, he just stared at her. She got incredibly nervous that he was going to lose his temper - Armie had said that he used to have a temper - but she couldn’t imagine that he still had it working here. “Ben?” 

“We used a condom … You’re sure it’s mine?” 

Crossing her arms over her ribs, she scoffed, “Ben, you’re the only person I’ve slept with in forever. The condom must have broken or something.” Slowly, he nodded and glanced around the room. Realizing how intrusive this must have been for him, she grimaced, “I’m sorry for bothering you with this. I just thought you should know since you’re the father.” 

He made eye contact again and, placing a warm hand on her arm, said, “Yeah, but you’re the one who has to carry the kid. What do you want to do? I’ll support you through whatever you want to do.” Her heart softened immensely, and this time, it was her that stared at him for a moment.

“I don’t know what I want to do. I barely figured out this morning,” she admitted, and he nodded in understanding. She tucked her hair behind her ears, glancing at the Galaxy Battles poster hanging on his wall. “You like Galaxy Battles?” she murmured, her brain wandering now that she had gotten everything that she really needed to off of her chest.

He smiled and glanced back at his poster. “Yeah, it was the one of the first movies my dad and I watched together after my mom passed away.” He turned back to her, and she smiled softly at him.

After a moment, she realized something. “I don’t want to give the kid up for adoption. I’ve been through that, and that sucked. But I don’t want to get an abortion. I’m all about pro-choice, but I’d rather not put my body through that.” Ben’s gentle eyes gazed at her carefully, letting her know that he really did not mind whatever choice she made. She swallowed thickly and added, “So I guess I’m keeping it.” 

There was a twitch under his left eye and he whispered, “I’d like to be a part of their life as their father, if that is something you’re willing to let me have. I’d also like to take care of you, throughout the pregnancy and after.” Rey blinked several times, trying to wrap her head around all that had happened today. “How about we go out to dinner tonight and discuss what you’d like to happen? Because I’d like to be sure that we’re on the same page about what we both want going forward.” She blinked a few more times before nodding.

“I can meet you anywhere around a public bus stop,” she offered, and he frowned deeply at her.

“Rey, I’ll pick you up. I’m not going to fucking make you ride the bus.” She chuckled nervously, and he pulled her into a hug. Her eyes widened once again while she slowly embraced him as well. “I’ll pick you up around seven, and we’ll go somewhere and talk. It would be earlier, but I’ve got basketball practice tonight.” 

Pulling away from him, she gave him a teasing smirk and questioned, “Basketball practice?” 

With a sweet blush on his cheeks, he informed her, “I coach the basketball team here with my dad.”

“That’s adorable,” she giggled, failing miserably at stifling it. Playfully, he rolled his eyes and pushed her away. She just beamed at him. 

They gazed warmly at each other for a few moments, and she realized how lucky she was that it was Ben Solo she got involved with. “Thank you, for being so understanding and helpful and not judging me.” 

He narrowed his eyes and stated, “I’m not going to say you’re welcome because you’re thanking me for the bare minimum.” That only made her grin bigger. “Now, I’ll see you at seven, sunshine. Don’t get into any trouble that I can’t get you out of in the mean time.” She looked down and blushed at the endearment as he pulled his office door open and guided her out.

“Hi, Rose,” he greeted, nodding at the shorter woman and waving.

“Hello, Ben. It’s good to see you. How are you?” Rey’s best friend replied, standing from the table and shoving her hands into the pockets of her black romper. 

Rey stayed beside Ben, because she was pretty comfortable there. It had absolutely nothing to do with his warm hand on the small of her back.

“I’m doing alright. My life somehow got a little brighter today,” he answered, looking down at Rey. She looked up at him with a shocked look as he slowly smiled at her. Rose narrowed her eyes knowingly, but she didn’t say anything to ruin the moment. Instead, Ben turned back to her and asked, “And how are you? How’s your fiancé?” 

“We’re a big mess, just like always.” The two chuckled while Rey licked her lips and breathed deeply. “Well, it’s good to see you, Ben. I have a feeling I’ll be seeing you around a lot more now.” 

“Well, whatever Rey wants.” 

The two women left the school and went out to lunch since they had the time. “So do you know what you’re going to do with the kid?” Rose questioned as they sat at the small table and Rey sipped her drink.

“I want to keep it, and Ben wants to be there. I don’t know if he wants to be around me as much as he wants to be around the kid, but I think I’m going to let him no matter what,” Rey explained, and Rose gave her a skeptical frown. “What?” 

“I hate to be the one to tell you, but Ben has practically been in love with you since before Poe and Finn’s wedding. It seems that everyone but you knew.” Rey bashfully sank into her seat and Rose’s frown deepened. “He hasn’t been exactly subtle about it, Rey. He went out of his way the night Armie proposed to me to sit next to you. Didn’t he take you home after Poe and Finn’s reception as well?” 

She sank even lower into her seat as she thought about the way Ben looked at her and talked to her and acted around her and cared about her.

“I just thought you knew, Rey. I mean, you slept with him.” 

Straightening up in her seat, Rey snapped, “Because we were having a good time. I didn’t think anything more would come from it, and he didn’t either.” Rose tilted her head and smiled sympathetically at her. The tired woman sighed and glanced around the restaurant, trying to look anywhere except Rose’s soft eyes. “Though I did hope,” she admitted.

“You care about him too.” It wasn’t even a question, Rose just knew.

Rey shrugged and said, “How am I supposed to stop myself, Rose? He’s this guy who constantly looks out for me, came back from a really dark place, and is physically and personally attractive. How am I supposed to not care about him?” 

The small woman across from her just stared at her for a second or two before smiling and mumbling, “Well, at least this kid’s parents will be in love.” Rey finally looked at her again as she lowered her head and studied the menu. Before Rey could awkwardly deny everything that was just said, the waiter walked over and make it so she didn’t have to.

The rest of the day passed relatively slowly, mostly because she was waiting for Ben Solo to knock on her front door. Jesus, she wished she had known about Ben’s feelings for her. So much would be different in her life had she known. She definitely would not have had a plan to stay single for the next five years had she known. She wouldn’t be so lonely if she had known.

She somehow made it to 6:55 and decided to pull off a checkered dress with black converse. She couldn’t stop fluffing her hair to make sure that it had enough volume to it and tugging her dress down to make sure it didn’t ride up. It was really no different than any other time that she and Ben have hung out, but now Rey knew Ben had feelings for her.It somehow was an entirely different world.

The knock on the door punched the air out of her lungs, and she had to press a hand to her stomach to calm herself. With another deep breath, she moved to her front door and pulled it open to reveal a tall, handsome man with a warm, equally handsome smile on his face. She forced herself not to gawk at the sight and looked at his own get-up. He was wearing some black, form-fitting jeans, a gray Henley, and his black leather jacket from a month ago, and she might have had to suck up some drool.

“Rey, hi,” he greeted, sounding a little breathless. She went to meet his eyes, but found that he was staring down at her body. When she grinned, his dark eyes quickly flittered back up to her mouth.

“Hi, Ben. Everything alright?” Finally, he looked into her eyes and nodded slowly.

“Yeah, you’re just … absolutely gorgeous.” Her face turned bright red, but her grin didn’t fade at all. He reached forward and gently took her by the hand. “Are you ready to head out?” She nodded and let him pull her out of the apartment. They paused long enough for her to lock the door, and then they went out to his car.

“You also look really good tonight,” she stated as they climbed into the Falcon. He smirked at her, and she gestured at his clothes. “Like this … is a whole look.” 

“Thank you, sunshine.”

“Though I do have to say the whole … middle school librarian look is also very gorgeous.” 

Gripping the steering wheel tightly and facing her, he grinned and asked, “You think my work look is gorgeous?” 

“I think _you’re_ gorgeous,” Rey giggled and shrugged, patting his shoulder. He stared at her before his grin somehow widened even more and he faced in front of them. 

“Rey, you just keep making my day better and better.” 

As they headed off toward whatever restaurant Ben had chosen, they made small talk about work and how Rey didn’t know that he was a librarian. Ben drove a lot less recklessly than Rey had seen him drive ever, and she was sure it was because they now knew she was pregnant with his child. Rey tried her best to avoid the topic of their child because she knew that she was going to talk about their feelings for each other, and she felt awkward enough without doing that.

He did a lot better job parking this time around when he pulled into the parking lot of the tiny hole-in-the-wall restaurant he had chosen. She smiled at it as Ben turned to her and asked, “How are you feeling?” She turned back to him and hummed inquisitively. “How does … little Solo … feel?” Rey narrowed her eyes and smiled at Ben.

“Ben, you … You took sex ed in high school, right?” He frowned, and she explained, “I’m not that far along at all. I can’t feel anything yet. You are aware of that, right?” He just stared at her, so she continued, “Like I don’t magically have a whole baby in me yet. Tell me you know that.” 

His eyes stayed on her for just a second too long, and she knew that he didn’t. He tried to avoid it by clearing his throat and pushing his door open. “Let’s go.” 

Instantly, she was guffawing, “Ben!” They both climbed out of the car, and he eyed her cautiously over the top of the roof. “Why did you think I wasn’t showing yet?” 

Gesturing his hands like he was holding a very small baby, he explained, “I thought the baby was just really small, but it was all there.” She sucked her lips in so that she didn’t laugh, even though it was so tempting. “Listen, now I know, so let’s just go inside …”

“Do you really know?” He shook his head in confusion, so she added, “Like you know that a child starts as a clump of cells that gradually forms more over time?” 

“I didn’t go to a normal high school, Rey.” She bursted into giggles finally, and he just shook his head with a fond smile. “Let’s go inside, Johnson, before you bully me anymore.” With a strange, warm feeling in her heart, she interlocked their elbows and they walked inside.

They sat at a booth, and she got an orange juice and he got a water. It was awkwardly quiet for a moment before he said, “But in all seriousness, how do you feel?” 

“Right now? A little tired. It’s been a bit of an emotional day.” 

Ben chuckled and told her, “I understand. I didn’t get a speck of work done after lunch, and then I let my dad run the basketball practice even though I’m the coach and he’s the assistant coach.” Rey smiled fondly. “So you’ve decided that you’re keeping the child?” She nodded, glancing around them to see that they were actually the only people in this restaurant. “Then I will reiterate that I want to be a part of your life and the child’s.” 

“I wouldn’t have it any other way,” she admitted, and he got this relieved grin on his face. Then she realized that she was just going to have to bring their feelings for each other up. With a grimace on her face, she started, “Listen, we’ve got to talk about something else …”

Before they could even begin, their waitress walked up and placed their drinks down. Rey licked her lips awkwardly as Ben ordered something light. She decided to go for something heavy because she were somehow still hungry even after her lunch with Rose.

As soon as the waitress walked away, Ben turned to her and asked, “What were you saying?” She wrung her fingers, just like earlier when she had told him she was pregnant, and he frowned nervously. “Rey, what is it?” 

“So like … Rose and I were talking earlier, after you and I had spoken … and she may have mentioned some … emotions … you may or may not feel toward me.” Ben straightened up and his dark eyes widened. “And she mentioned that it wasn’t just because of the kid that you wanted to be around. Is that … Is that true?” 

Nervously, he grabbed his glass of water and just stared down at it. “Yes.”

Her chest settled and she sighed in relief. “Cool, um … Yeah, me too.” Ben looked at her oddly, like he couldn’t wrap his head around the words that had just come out of her mouth. She didn’t really expound upon them, she just let them sit in the air between them while she took a sip of her orange juice.

So Ben took the leap this time and said, “Okay, so to clarify …” She gestured for him to continue. “Rose basically told you that I have romantic feelings for you?” She nodded, and he continued, “And you are apparently somewhere in the same range?” 

“Well, specifically … “

Again, the waitress cut her off, so Rey just let Ben thank her for their food. After the waitress walked away, neither of them even moved to begin eating, staring into each other’s eyes. “Specifically?” he prompted, and she took a deep breath.

“Specifically, I wouldn’t mind if our child had parents who were … romantically and physically involved.” She made sure to take another sip of her juice to signify that she wanted him to talk. He opened and closed his mouth several times before just closing it and leaning against his clasped hands. She stared at him as he stared off into space and processed what she had said. Beginning to dig into her pasta dish, she decided to have mercy on him and went to speak, “Of course …”

This time, it was him cutting her off, “Give me a moment, I’m processing.” Obediently, she kept quiet and shoved a good forkful of pasta into her mouth. It took him at least a minute to finally gather his thoughts. Then he said, “I … Hmm …” She didn’t stop eating as she waited for him. “I would very much like it if we assumed that role in each other’s lives.” She smiled with a mouthful of food, and he couldn’t help but smile back. And then he added, “But I have two conditions.” 

Her smile sinking back into a straight line, she finished her mouthful and asked, “What are they?” 

“First, you move in with me so I know that you are safe and that you’re eating well. If we are going to be together, your health and our child’s health are now my first priority. Secondly, you get that job at my dad’s.” 

Placing her fork down on the table and glaring mild daggers at him, she scoffed, “Ben, I can’t do either of those things.” 

He leaned forward to catch her eyes and, with a confident tone of voice, demanded, “If you want this relationship, Rey Johnson, you will.” Her eyes widened and her cheeks flushed and she leaned back in her seat. “If you want me to care for you, you need to let me. Even without the child, I’d ask for those things.” As she turned her head away to escape his intense gaze, he continued to watch her.

No one had ever really cared for her before. Of course, there was Finn and Rose, and Armie always looked out for her, and Poe kept a half open eye out. But they had never done the type of thing that Ben was doing for her. They had given her a place to stay for a night or two while she found another place and spared a few dollars for food, but they had never made her stay or get a better job.

“How much is rent?” she questioned, giving him a side-eye. Instead of answering, he finally began eating his own food, a nice salad that Rey had absolutely no interest in right now. Knowing that he was doing to it to avoid her question, she aggressively repeated, “Ben, how much is rent?” 

“Rey, I have far more money than I know what to do with. Please, let me take care of it.” 

Resting her clenched fists in her lap, she huffed out a deep breath and replied, “Ben, you already know that I’m bad at accepting people’s help, just let me … Let me pay for half of rent.” 

“How about a quarter of rent and some of the groceries?” he negotiated. She flexed her fingers together and considered it for several seconds. By the look in his eyes, she could tell that he wasn’t going to give past that, so she just sighed and nodded her head. “Thank you.” 

They were quiet for several moments, and she went back to eating. It was uncomfortable, how Rey had assumed it would be when she told him she was pregnant, but both of them were stubborn enough that they didn’t make to leave.

Finally, Ben decided to rebreak the ice and said, “When do you want to move in? And I can get you a job at my dad’s by next week.” 

“I should probably move in before I get that job, and I should probably meet your dad before I get a job.” Ben nodded in agreement.

“You should also know that my dad has worked with Plutt before and thinks the man is an asshole as well.” 

Rey rolled her eyes and scoffed, “Everyone thinks Plutt is an asshole. I’m already getting a job for your dad, let it go.” He chuckled, and the rest of dinner went over smoothly.

After dinner, he drove her back and she couldn’t take her eyes off of him the whole time. She wasn’t sure that she was ever going to be able to once they moved in together, but that was a problem for when they moved in together. 

When he pulled into a parking space in the lot in front of her building, he put the car in park and they turned to each other. “Are you working tomorrow?” he inquired, smiling at her. Unable to stop herself from smiling back at him, she pulled her legs up onto the seat and shook her head. With a new blush on his cheeks, he said, “You know, we could go up to get an overnight bag, and you could come back to my place for the next few days.”

“I probably shouldn’t,” she whispered as his eyes slid down to her lips.

“I disagree.” She grinned and leaned forward to kiss him. He inhaled sharply as her lips touched his, and she realized how quickly she was going to become addicted to this, to his kisses. It was strange though, because he was almost frozen throughout the whole thing. Pulling back, she studied his face, which had turned red, and it looked like he wasn’t breathing. It took a second for his brain to reboot. Then he told her, “You know, I never thought I was going to be able to do that again.” 

She shrugged and teased, “Now, you can do it as much as you want.” He grinned at her, but didn’t go in for another kiss.

Instead, he whispered, “Stay at mine tonight, Rey. I’ll kiss you as many times as you’d like.” She probably shouldn’t. She should probably stay home and do some chores that she had been putting off due to her long week at work. But staying with Ben sounded so much better.

“Okay, I just have to go pack a bag,” she responded, pushing the door open.

Turning the engine off, he asked, “Can I come up with you?” She smiled and nodded, stepping out of the Falcon. He climbed out of the Falcon as well and followed her up to the apartment. Rey took his hand as she unlocked and opened the door

“It’s kinda messy and not all that big, but it’s livable,” she informed him as they walked in. He took a quick glance around the somewhat kitschy apartment. It was definitely not how he would decorate the shoebox of an apartment, but if he knew anything about Rey, it was that she would make use of anything that came into her possession.

“It’s nice,” was what he finally decided to say, and she just looked at him with a knowing smile. He stepped in farther and shut the door behind him, repeating, “Really, it’s nice.” 

“If you say so,” she murmured, shrugging her shoulders and glancing around her apartment. “Make yourself at home. I’ll go pack a bag.” Instead of sitting on the ugly orange couch like he was sure she intended him to, he followed her into the bedroom.

Suddenly, he understood that she was ashamed of her home. Her queen-sized bed - just a mattress on the floor with a tan sheet, one pillow, and a thin, fleece blanket - was tucked tight into the corner with a black dresser right next to it. The dresser was old and worn, but like Rey said about the whole apartment, it was livable. In general, the room was pretty clean and Ben didn’t see any reason to be ashamed of it.

He turned to Rey as she began packing a duffel bag and asked, “Do you like living here?” Not looking at him, she shrugged and shoved some clothes into the bag. Then he asked a question that he wasn’t sure he wanted answered. “Do you feel safe here?” 

Her packing came to a stop and, keeping her eyes down, she told him, “When you’re an orphan and get passed from foster home to foster home, you learn how to take care of yourself. Sure, I had Finn and Rose growing up, but I’ve always been on my own, in a way.” His lips quirked downward as she resumed packing.

He took a moment to reply, “You’re not on your own anymore, Rey.” Again, she stopped, but this time, she looked at him. Stepping forward, he tenderly took her hand and added, “I’m not going to leave you, Rey. I’m not going to leave you or our child.” She inhaled sharply and stared at him before turning and zipping her bag up. He tried to keep his amusement at how headstrong she could be hidden.

“Alright, I’m ready to go if you are.” Breathing deeply, he nodded and easily took the bag from her. Going up on her tiptoes, she pecked his lips and patted his chest. Then she turned and led him out of the apartment and down to his car.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey puts Finn in his place and meets Han.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a mess, I'm sorry. This chapter was really hard to get through, but I did it! Now you guys can have it. I hope you like it!

“I just don’t get it. Of all the people you could choose, you chose Ben Solo?” Rey rolled her eyes and buried her face in her arms.

It had been a week since she had figured out she was pregnant, since she and Ben had decided to pursue a relationship together, since Ben officially became hers. Though Rey had wanted to keep it to herself at first - or away from Finn, at least - Ben had gone running his mouth about it to Poe and Armie. His two friends, along with Rose, had celebrated, but Finn had been a little … less than supportive.

Over the course of the last week, he had been regularly texting Rey different variations of the same question, “Why?” Rey had been patient with him, because they had always been patient with each other, Rose as well. But she had thought that the stupid questions would cease after a week, or at least slow down a little. No, apparently, they only sped up when they were face to face.

“The guy’s a smug asshole, have you heard the stories from Armie and Poe?” Rey lifted her face from her arms and rested her chin on them instead, blankly gazing at Finn as Rose slapped down another card.

It was Uno night, which consisted of Finn, Rey, Rose, and Rose’s sister Paige gathering in Paige’s tiny apartment to play the classic card game. Usually, it was Rey’s favorite night of the week because it was always fun to sit down and relax with some friends. Tonight was apparently not usual though, seeing as Rey felt far less relaxed and Finn just couldn’t shut up about Ben. It was even worse that Ben and Poe had been best friends since they were young, like just out of the womb young, but you didn’t hear him complaining about that.

“Finn, let it go,” Paige commanded quietly, slapping down her own card. Rey quickly continued the round with a Plus Four and Finn scoffed.

As he collected the four cards he was due, he stated, “I’m legitimately asking, I just want to know.”

While Rose set down another card, Paige gave Finn a strong expression of controlled anger and responded, “Yes, and Rey has answered your repeated question at least nine times. That’s only counting tonight, not the rest of the week. Plus, the rest of us think Solo is a good man, because he is. Your boyfriend and he are actually closer to brothers than best friends. Get over it, and let it go.” Rey breathed a quiet sigh of relief, and Paige stepped seamlessly back into the game.

Finn was actually quiet for a moment, and Rey thought they were in the clear. And then, under his breath, he muttered, “I just don’t get why Solo.” And Rey had been so patient, she had been so good at controlling her anger over the situation, but her hormones were already beginning to get weird and she could only take so much.

So she slapped her hands down on the table and stood up, everyone’s eyes widening and turning to her. With her angry gaze pointed at Finn, she let everything come out. “Because Ben is a good, strong, handsome man. Because he can take care of not just me, but our child. Because being with him makes me feel good. Because despite all the terrible things I’ve done to survive, I deserve to get what I want, and Ben is what I want!” Though it wasn’t great that Rey had resorted to yelling, Rose and Paige smiled at her list of reasons. She didn’t notice, too focused on Finn. “Does that answer all your questions?” Clearly still in shock, Finn nodded his head. Rey slowly sank to her chair and gave a satisfied nod of her own. The two sisters proceeded to hide their smiles behind their cards while Finn and Rey blankly stared at the table.

She should ask Ben to come pick her up. She should apologize to Finn and then leave. She shouldn’t have lost her temper. To be fair, that wasn’t the full extent of her anger, but she was sure that she still scared Finn. He had seen the full extent of her anger, he had seen how poorly it could go when she lost her temper. He had every right to be scared of her. As she sent a quick text to Ben asking him to come pick her up, she formulated an apology.

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have reacted like that. I lost my temper, and I apologize. I won’t do it again,” she murmured, and Rose and Paige lowered their cards to show how their lips quirk downward.

Finn looked into Rey’s eyes and responded, “No, it was fair. I was pestering you. I shouldn’t have gone that far with it, and I’m sorry too.” Rey bit the inside of her cheek and nodded in acceptance. Then he continued, “You’re like a sister to me. I have to look out for you, you know? And I know that you can look after yourself, but you don’t know the things this man has done.”

Rey’s phone vibrated with a text from Ben stating that he was on his way, and she shook her head at Finn. “He doesn’t know what I’ve done either, Finn. I’m not going to write him off just because he’s made some mistakes. He’s still good, just like I still am.” Finn gazed at her carefully for a moment or two before accepting her response and nodding his head too. “So we’re good? I’m not going to have to answer all these questions again?” He chuckled and shook his head, and she smiled. “Good.” 

“Oh, I love you guys,” Rose whined like it pained her to say it. The whole group giggled, the tension finally slipping away. As they giggled, Finn rested a hand on Rey’s shoulder, and she turned to him. He gave her this warm, fond smile, and she couldn’t help but return it.

Before anymore could be said, the door bursted open, and they all turned to it as one drunk Poe Dameron walked in. “Where is my husband?” Finn let his hand fall from Rey’s shoulder as an equally drunk Armitage Hux wandered in behind Poe.

“Rosie,” the ginger man hummed in a soft tone that people other than Rose so rarely heard.

“Hi, honey,” Rose giggled as Armie came in and knelt on the floor beside her.

Finally, Ben sauntered in, looking nowhere near as intoxicated as the other two, and Rey was beaming. His eyes instantly fell on her, and he was grinning too as he greeted, “Hello there, sunshine.” Neither of them noticed how everyone turned to watch them as she rose from her seat and he stood right in front of her.

“You seem rather sober compared to those two,” she pointed out, and he nodded.

“I was designated driver, which meant that I knew when to give into their whining about being with Finn and Rose.” She let out this soft chuckle, and he leaned down to press a gentle kiss to her cheek.

“Oh, the throes of young romance,” Poe exclaimed, and Ben and Rey turned to stare at him blankly while everyone else laughed.

Paige wasn’t even drunk, but she still jumped in with a, “I can’t help but point out that their kid is going to be gorgeous.” The rest of them turned to her with noises and statements of agreement, but Rey and Ben looked at each other. 

She gave him this look that screamed, “Do you see what I have to deal with?” And he just smiled back. Something about the smile made her blush and forced her to look away. He was far too good for her.

Then Paige asked, “Do you guys want to play? I’ll deal these buffoons in, and we’ll start a new round.” Rey furrowed her eyebrows and opened her mouth to tell her that she was going to head out with Ben.

Before she could, Ben turned to Paige and came up with an excuse for her, “Ah, no, I’ve returned these two to their protectors, and I’m feeling like turning in for the night. So I’m going to steal Rey away and head out.” Ben was so good to her. He was definitely coming up with an excuse so Rey didn’t have to explain herself. He was way too good for her.

“That’s code for ‘I’m taking Rey home to fuck her’,” Poe shouted, and Rey was absolutely done with the Damerons tonight.

“Oh my god, you guys are annoying. Let’s go,” she snapped, taking Ben by the hand and tugging him toward the door. Everyone laughed and then bid them goodbye as they stepped out. He shut the door behind them and they quietly walked down to the parking lot.

As they slid into the front seats of the Falcon, Ben asked, “So what happened that made you text me?” 

Rey sighed and rubbed the back of her head. “Finn’s been a bit of a dick since you and I started dating, and it just reached a climax tonight. I lost my temper and started yelling at him. But we worked it out, and it’s fine. That’s it.” 

Quickly getting on the road once Rey’s seatbelt was buckled, Ben inquired, “You lost your temper, or you put Finn in his place?” She furrowed her eyebrows and looked at him. He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye and explained, “If what Rose has said about him is true, Finn’s head seems to get a bit too big for him sometimes. Every once in a while, he needs to be knocked down a few pegs.”

It made sense, but that didn’t make what Rey did right. She shook her head and refused, “Don’t do that.” He frowned as she continued, “Don’t try to justify my bad behavior. While Finn was being an asshole, that doesn’t make what I did right. He’s seen what I can do with my anger, and I scared him tonight just from a speck of it.” She shook her head again, this time at herself, and leaned her forehead against the window. 

Ben was silent for a moment while he checked his rearview mirror. Then he reached over and grabbed her hand, causing her to turn back to him. “You’re human, Rey. You’re allowed to lose your temper every once in a while. You’re allowed to be imperfect, though I’d argue that you’re not.” Somehow, that soothed the sting of Rey’s self-hatred and, while Ben gave her hand a gentle squeeze, she gave him a small smile.

“Now, put that from your mind. I plan to buy you a large, sausage pizza and cuddle you deep into my mattress.” She giggled happily as he handed her his phone and requested that she go onto the Domino’s app to order the pizza. 

Once she was finished with that and had handed him his phone again, he set it in the cupholder and asked, “Also, do we have any plans tomorrow?” Leaning back in her seat and holding his hand again, she shook her head. “So what I was thinking was … My dad was wondering if we wanted to go to dinner tomorrow.” She raised her eyebrows and inhaled sharply, and he glanced at her. “It’d just be you, me, and my dad. Nothing special since Dad isn’t one for fanfare. He just wants to meet you.” 

That sounded … fine. She would be nervous anyway, but after tonight, with her incident with Finn, she was especially anxious. What if she didn’t impress this man that Ben looked up to so much? What if she disappointed the man who was grandfather to the child she was carrying? But he wasn’t even making a big deal out of it. He didn’t want anything more than to have lunch with them. She thought she could manage that.

“If you’re confident that it’ll be fine, I’m okay with that.” Ben grinned and nodded his head happily.

Once they picked up the pizza, they headed back to his place and curled up in bed. She ate six pieces of the pizza, and he stuck to two because he had already had plenty to eat. As she watched Galaxy Battles on the flat screen mounted on his wall, he kept an eye on her. When her eyelids started to flutter, a warm fondness rolled through his chest and he smiled to himself. He moved the pizza box off of the bed as she slowly tilted over and leaned her head against his shoulder.

He pressed a kiss to her forehead, and that caused her eyes to fly open again. He couldn't help the smile on his face as his eyebrows shot up. She stared at him for just a second before asking in an odd voice, “When Kylo Ren offers Kira his hand for the second time, do you think she’ll take it?” He shook his head in confusion at her, and she just hummed out a soft chuckle and closed her eyes again.

“You’re a strange egg, Rey Johnson.” 

“And you chose this, Ben Solo.” 

After a good night of sleep for both of them, Rey woke up at six and immediately ran off to the bathroom. Ben woke up a moment later to the sound of her retching into the toilet. He looked around the room for a moment to understand what’s going on. Once everything processed, he cursed under his breath and stood. His long legs quickly carried him to the bathroom doorway, and he knelt behind Rey to hold her hair back.

“It’s alright, sunshine. You’re okay,” he murmured, rubbing her back and trying to comfort her. A good portion of the pizza she had last night came up, and he tried to control his gag reflex at the awful stench. Silently gagging behind her, he kept rubbing her back.

Finally, it ended, and she picked her head up. He reached forward to flush the toilet, and she sighed. “I hate throwing up so much, Ben. Your kid better learn to be grateful.” Ben chuckled and kissed her shoulder.

“I’m sorry, sunshine. How about we go back to bed? We don’t have to be anywhere until later. We can just stay in bed until we have to leave to see my dad.” She nodded her head and tried to push herself up. He went to help her up, but she shoved him away. “Rey,” he said in a dark tone, and she turned to him.

Clearly still shaking, she plastered a smile on her face and responded, “I’m okay, Ben.” He continued to stare at her with hard eyes as she pushed herself up.

“I thought we agreed that you were moving in with me so that I could help you out,” he stated, standing with her at the sink as she began brushing her teeth. “We’re going to be living together so that I can look after you. You have to let me look after you, Rey.” 

Despite the foam in her mouth, she looked at him in their reflection and responded, “Okay, but I’m fine. It’s just a little morning sickness.” She shrugged at him nonchalantly and went back to brushing her teeth. He wanted to argue more about this, because he wanted her to realize that it was okay to let him help. But he knew that she was stubborn, and he would just get angry, so he chewed on his bottom lip for a moment before grabbing his own toothbrush.

“Have you told your dad about the baby?” 

Pausing with the toothbrush right at his mouth, he nervously answered, “Yeah, I called him as soon as you told me and left.” She turned to look at him, and he explained, “Listen, I was excited, so I needed his support in case you decided you didn’t want it.” 

Spitting and rinsing her toothbrush off, she smiled at him and responded, “That’s fine, Ben. I just wanted to make sure I didn’t need to get anxious over how we were going to tell him.” 

“Ah, no. He knows. What he’s going to do is make stupid jokes about how I’m just like him.” She furrowed her eyebrows, and he informed her, “He and my mom went on one date, slept together, and ended up with me.” 

“I thought you said your parents were like … stupidly in love,” she murmured and leaned down to get water from the faucet and rinse her mouth out.

He grinned at her and responded, “They were. That’s why they ended up with me.” She hummed and began swishing the water around in her mouth. Meanwhile, he began brushing his teeth. They were quiet for a few moments, but she didn’t leave him alone in the bathroom. Instead, she pushed herself up to sit on the empty counter space next to the sink.

When he was done brushing his teeth, he put his toothbrush back in the cup and came to stand in between her legs. She smiled at him as he rested his hands on her thighs and spread them a little to make room for him. “Rose and Hux are convinced that we’re stupidly in love,” he stated, and she just tilted her head at him.

“Well, we did sleep together the one time we hung out alone, ended up with a baby, and are now in a relationship. It does look like that, doesn’t it?” He slowly smiled back at her and then leaned forward to press his lips to hers. She sighed softly and threaded her fingers through the long hair at the back of his head.

This felt right. For the first time in a long time, Rey felt right - probably since meeting Finn and Rose. Being with Ben felt good. He made her sure of herself and who she was, and it was such a peaceful feeling.

Pulling away, she breathed deeply and leaned her forehead against his. “Rey,” he hummed in his deep voice, his hand securing itself around her waist.

“Going back to bed sounds like a really good idea,” she whispered, and he chuckled before lifting her up and carrying her back into the bedroom.

They spent all day in bed, going back and forth between making out and watching the Great British Bake Off. Part of Ben hated it, but the rest of him was in love with how excited Rey got over it. He made burgers for lunch, and that was the only time they got out of bed until they started getting ready for dinner with his dad.

As they were both getting dressed, she was stressing over what to wear, and he reassured her, “Sunshine, my dad doesn’t care. He’ll probably answer the door in sweatpants and a Hawaiian shirt.” She sighed and grabbed a pair of jeans and a nice blouse. Then he tied his hair up into one bun and she tied hers up into three buns.

Then they headed over to his father’s. “I don’t know if he’s making something or if he’s ordering in, but I’m really hoping that he stuck to something barbecue if he made something,” he told her as they drove down the road. She paid him her full attention as he continued, “He’s not great at cooking outside of a grill. My Uncle Chewie and he tried to take a cooking class when I was young. Did not go well whatsoever. The only things either of them can cook are hot dogs and hamburgers on a grill.” 

Leaning her chin against her fist, she joked, “So we’re hoping he orders in.” He chuckled and nodded his head. “Um, also … Is Chewie an actual name?” 

Ben grinned and shook his head, explaining, “No, it’s a nickname. His actual name is Charlie, but I couldn’t say that when I was younger, so Chewie stuck.” Rey smiled fondly at the mental image of a tiny Ben Solo struggling to pronounce words.

A short while later, they arrived at a moderately sized house that looked like it spent more money than Rey had ever had in her bank account. It wasn’t even the size that made it look like that, it was the decor and design of the house that had Rey’s eyebrows shooting up. “This is your dad’s house?” she inquired, clenching her fists in her lap.

“Yeah, it was something my mom left to him after she passed. Benefits of her being a senator with a lot of power,” Ben explained as he parked next to the large truck in the driveway. He glanced at it and, with a downward curl of his lips, murmured, “What a downgrade.” Rey took a deep breath, and Ben killed the engine and turned to her.

Hesitantly, she admitted, “I don’t think I’ve ever been allowed on a property this nice.” He frowned and took her hand, sliding his fingers through hers so that she would relax, and she turned to him.

“You’re deserving of so much more than even this, Rey.” She chuckled and shook her head. “Just you wait, sunshine. Once everything gets settled and we have the baby, I’ll buy a house even bigger than this.” Before she could respond, he leaned over, pressed a kiss to her cheek, and climbed out of the car. She sighed and got out of the car as well.

As they walked up to the front door, he took her hand again. What she realized was that her hand was a reassurance for him this time. She knew that he and his father had a good relationship, but she had a feeling that Ben had the same insecurity that she did. They both had the insecurity that the people they trusted most could leave them at any time.

His hand was trembling a little as he pressed the doorbell. She looked at him and whispered, “Hey.” He turned to her with wide, inquisitive eyes, and she continued, “If you want to leave at any time, just say the word.” He blinked like he was surprised. He tended to do that when she mentioned something he didn’t think she knew about him. She just smiled at him.

Before he could reply, the door was being pulled open and his father was standing in front of them. She inhaled sharply and he squeezed her hand. “Hey, guys, come on in.” 

“Hey, Dad,” Ben greeted after breathing a sigh of relief.

As they walked in and his father shut the door behind them, he responded, “How’s it going, kid? Anything change since I saw you yesterday?” Ben smiled and shook his head. Then they turned to Rey, and she offered a nervous smile.

“Dad, this is my girlfriend, Rey. Rey, this is my dad, Han,” Ben introduced them, standing closer to Han, just an inch taller than him.

Instantly, Han was smiling at Rey and declaring, “It’s nice to finally meet the girl Ben hasn’t shut up about for the last month.” 

Rey tried her best not to grin while Ben denied, “Nope, that’s not - you weren’t supposed to say that.” Then he turned to Rey and stated, “He was anxious about meeting you, so we had a whole script planned out. He backed out of his own script.” 

Han raised his eyebrows at his son and told him, “No, you didn’t want me to embarrass you, so you planned out the script, but I changed my mind.” No matter what the story was, it didn’t stop Rey from giggling, and Ben shook his head.

“Don’t encourage him. He’ll never shut up about it.” That only made her giggle harder.

Han patted him on the shoulder and announced, “It’s alright, Ben. I like her.” He walked farther into the house, silently beckoning them to follow, and Ben scoffed loudly.

“You only like her because she thinks you’re funny.” Then he set off after his father, and Rey followed him. “Please tell me you didn’t cook and, if you did, you made something simple,” he demanded as they walked through the kitchen to the back deck.

Han shook his head and informed them, “Nope, I ordered pizza because I didn’t want to ruin Rey’s taste buds with my awful cooking.” 

Ben grinned like he had succeeded something great while Rey stated, “I’m sure your cooking can’t be that bad.” Her boyfriend gave her a pointed look while his father’s eyes widened.

“I didn’t realize you had an accent. She’s quite the catch, Ben. Nice score. Your mother would be proud.” Rey raised her eyebrows while Ben grinned to himself.

Meanwhile, they stepped out onto the deck where the glass table covered with a large umbrella was set with a few paper plates, a few beers, and a pizza box. “We had pizza last night because Rey was having some serious cravings,” Ben explained as they gathered around the table.

“But did you have a supreme pizza?” Han teased, opening the pizza box to reveal a loaded pizza that instantly had Rey drooling. She bounced on the balls of her feet in excitement, wrapping her arms around Ben’s bicep.

“Why are you more excited for the pizza my dad bought us than the pizza I bought you last night?” Ben taunted in a very similar way to his father, and Rey just beamed up at him. He shook his head fondly, and they sat down at the table.

As they grabbed their slices and dug in, Han asked, “So, Rey, Ben said you’re a mechanic? Where are you working?” 

Clearing her throat and placing her slice back on her plate, Rey nervously answered, “Yes, I work at Plutt’s Garage in Jakku.” Ben filled his mouth with pizza so he didn’t get himself into trouble while Han stiffened slightly.

“Unkar Plutt? How do you like that?” Rey took a moment to consider how she could say what she wanted to say while remaining polite, but Han definitely noticed. “Don’t hold back, kid. Just give it to me straight.” 

And so she said exactly what she thought about her boss and place of work. “It’s awful. Plutt’s a sexist asshole. I only work there because it pays the bills.” Ben looked back and forth between them while Rey finally took a bite of her pizza. Han did the same, and Ben just wanted to know what he thought.

When Han swallowed his bite, he went to open his beer and said, “I’ve always been on the opinion that Plutt belongs behind bars.” Rey chuckled and nodded in agreement. “I do need to see what you can do, but I’d be willing to offer you a job if everything checks out.”

Rey smiled and nodded gratefully, not wanting to push it just to show him what she knew she could do right now, but Ben instantly jumped into action. “You remember when I showed you Poe’s engine and told you my friend rebuilt it? Yeah, that was Rey.” Han’s eyebrows shot up, and Rey gave an awkward smile.

“Wow, Rey, that’s … That’s certainly impressive.” 

“Thank you.” 

Han nodded and then turned to his son. “So are you keeping the apartment what she moves in, or are you moving into a bigger place?” Rey’s shoulders relaxed as she saw that he’d dismissed that topic of conversation and she picked up her pizza again.

“I would like to buy a big house with a backyard, but I think we’ll stay in the apartment for the time being.” She smiled at Ben, and he smiled back. Han gazed at the two with a fond expression on his face.

Dinner continued smoothly, and Rey let herself enjoy the domesticity that she’d never really had before. She just couldn’t stop smiling at the way the two Solo men teased and taunted each other. Ben randomly had to go to the bathroom at one point, and she wondered if he was doing that just so she could get a moment alone with Han, though he did seem genuinely remorseful for leaving her on her own. Rey just smiled and nodded reassuringly at him. Then he did leave them alone, and Rey silently panicked just slightly. But Han quickly filled the silence.

“So Ben tells me you’re an orphan.” If it was anyone else, Rey would sneer at them and leave, but for some reason, she got the idea that Han related and that was why he was so blunt.

“Ah, yes. My parents are long passed, and I don’t have any other family.” 

He eyed her for a moment before continuing to be tactless and asking, “How long passed?” She didn’t get offended by the question, because some strange part of her rejoiced in having something to connect with the old man about.

“Since I was five.” 

“In the system?” 

“Yes, until I aged out.” He nodded and they were silent for a moment.

Then he awkwardly declared, “I lived on the streets of Chandrila for eighteen years until I joined the air force. I was a damn good pilot who was an orphan, so the others always said I was flying solo. Han Solo had a nice ring to it, so I changed my name when I got out. It’s stuck ever since.” Rey gave a small huff of amazement, and Han gave her this gentle smile. “What I’m trying to say, kid, is that you’ve got someone in your corner now. I know what it’s like to not have someone in your corner. I didn’t have anyone until I met Chewie and then Leia.” 

Tears brimmed her eyes, and she looked down at her lap as she murmured, “Thank you.” 

“It’s no problem at all, kid.” 

“Dad, when the fuck did you get a bidet?” Ben exclaimed as he rejoined them and effectively ruined the moment Han and Rey were having.

She turned away so Ben couldn’t see her blink the tears away while Han nonchalantly answered, “Listen, Chewie installed it because I got sick of him and Maz never shutting up about it.”

“You and Chewie been getting intimate lately?” Rey snorted and turned back to the conversation while Han rolled his eyes. Ben just sat back with a cocky smile.

“Anyway, Rey …” Immediately, she turned and paid Han her full attention again. “Quit from Plutt’s as soon as possible - the sooner, the better - and move into Ben’s. As soon as that’s done, you come into the garage and we’ll get you set up on payroll.” The air was punched out of her, and she nodded obediently. Grabbing Ben’s hand under the table, she breathed and smiled, and Ben leaned over to kiss her cheek.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey's boss screws her over, but Ben takes care of her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know that I like the way I wrote this chapter, but here it is. :)

Rey was properly annoyed right now. She had already had a long week with a few doctor’s appointments that Ben forced her to go to, and now here she was. It was raining, she was walking back to her apartment in it, and she had just been fired from Plutt’s. Absolutely ridiculous was what it was. The disgusting pig had called her in on a Saturday and fired her on the spot when she tried to turn in her two weeks. She was angry and tired and hungry, and now she felt like a drowned rat.

She stomped into her apartment and found Ben standing over a box that he was packing. The sight of his messy, soft, black hair calmed her just slightly, but not enough to not slam the door. Ben lifted his head to look at her with wide brown eyes while Rose and Armie peeked their heads out of her bedroom. “Sweetheart,” Ben gasped and, if Rey wasn’t so upset, she would make a comment about how he had never called her that before.

She had hoped that they would be far further than two weeks along in their relationship before her anger made an appearance. Because of this, she didn’t step straight into Ben’s arms like he was clearly beckoning her to. Instead, she stormed into the kitchen and began digging through the refrigerator. While Ben followed her in there, Rose and Armie went back to hiding in Rey’s bedroom.

“What are you doing here? I thought you were in for a full day. That’s why the three of us got started,” he said. Grabbing the big, plastic bowl of spaghetti left over from last night, she stood up straight and gave Ben what she assumed was a very cave man like expression. His eyes widened once again, and he reared his head back.

“I figured it was as good a time as any to turn in my two weeks, and the bastard fired me. And I left my phone on the charger this morning because why would I need it? So I couldn’t call you, and I walked home in the rain. And now I’m fucking hungry and tired, and I just need …” She didn’t know what she needed. Well, that wasn’t true. She knew that she needed to eat at least half of this spaghetti bowl and go to bed for a little while longer. But she didn’t know how to make those words come out without sounding wrong and aggressive and angry.

But Ben didn’t look deathly afraid of her like everyone else always did. He looked surprised to see her anger, but not scared. No, he stepped forward and took the spaghetti bowl away from her, even though she could hurt him right now even if she didn’t want to. “Sweetheart, let me heat this up. Or I can get Hux and Rosie to do it while we get you out of these clothes into dry ones. Then we can send them home and get you back into bed.” 

How did he just know what she needs and give it to her for nothing? She couldn’t make the words come out, couldn’t be not angry right now, but he was so generous and kind and knowing. It was almost like he knows her.

Placing the spaghetti bowl on the counter, he took her hands and pulled her toward her bedroom. She hid behind him as they stood in the doorway and he requested, “Can you guys go heat that spaghetti up while I get her in dry clothes, please?” Over his shoulder, she did catch a peek of Armie grimacing, and Ben turned into someone she’d never seen before. In an angry sneer, he snarled, “Hux, go in there and heat up the fucking spaghetti.” Immediately, Armie brushed past them, pulling Rose behind him, and Rey kind of liked that Ben had that power.

Ignoring the mutterings of the other couple in the kitchen, Ben pulled her into the bedroom and shut the door behind them. “Now, let’s get you out of these clothes. How about that, sweetheart?” 

As he pushed her sweatshirt off of her shoulders, she realized she was finally calm enough to ask him about that. “Since when do you call me sweetheart?” 

“I call you that in my head all the time. My dad used to call my mom that,” he explained, lifting her shirt up over her head. She gazed at his calm face while he avoided meeting her gaze and took the rest of her clothes off. She was still in shock over the fact that he was not afraid of her like Armie and Rose were, that he wasn’t afraid to be right in front of her in the fire of her anger. To add something sentimental like a name his father used to call his mother really blew it up even more.

“Ben,” she murmured softly, and he lifted his gaze to finally meet her eyes. Nervously shifting her feet, she reached forward and slid her hand against the nape of his neck. His whole face softened while she carded her fingers against his scalp. It was only a moment more before she stepped forward and pulled him into a tight hug. Her arms wrapped around his broad shoulders, and his arms wrapped around her waist, and she felt like she was exactly where she needed to be. “Ben,” she gasped, tears brimming her eyes, and he hugged her so much tighter.

“I’m right here, Rey. I’m not leaving you. You have me, Rey.” How did he know just what she needed to hear when she didn’t even know herself?

“Thank you, thank you, thank you,” she cried into his shoulder.

“There’s nothing to thank me for, Rey. I’m doing the bare minimum.” There was so much to thank him for and he didn’t even know. She pulled away so that she could look at his beautiful face, even though she could barely see it through the blur of tears. He just smiled softly at her and wiped those tears away. “I’ve got you, sunshine. I’ll take care of you, no matter what. Okay?” She sniffled and nodded her head obediently.

He brushed her wet, messy, hair out of her face and cupped her jaw, demanding, “Let’s get you into some warm clothes.” Then he kissed her forehead and stepped around her to get to her dresser. 

As he dug through her dresser and found some baggy sweatpants for her to wear, she watched him and continued to cry. Inevitably, he was going to leave her. That was just what happened. Everyone left her. It was okay, she knows it’d happen. She just wished she wasn’t so attached already.

Once he had a whole outfit of lazy day clothes, he turned back to her and helped her get dressed. “We’ll get you warm and fed and in bed. I can send Rose and Hux home and we can cuddle and watch a movie. It’ll be just us, okay?” She nodded in approval as he tied the drawstring around her waist. Once she was fully dressed, he told her, “Okay, I’m going to let Hux and Rose know. Why don’t you get in bed, and I’ll get you some spaghetti?”

She moved toward the bed, so he kissed her head and slipped out of the room, but as soon as he’d shut the door behind him, she went back and leaned her ear against it. She listened closely and heard him announce to their friends, “Hey, guys. Um, so I think it’s just going to be me and Rey that stick around. Sorry for pulling you out like this and then sending you home.” 

Her sniffle almost forced her to miss Rose’s, “Is she okay?” 

“Other than some understandable anger, yes. She’s just overtired, overworked, and hungry. So I’m going to get her into bed and give her this food. Thank you by the way.”

Then she heard Armie ask, “You’re sure you want to be alone with that?” Which, honestly, was perfectly understandable. She was a lot to handle even on her good days.

“Why wouldn’t I be? If I want the good stuff, I should be able to empathize with the bad stuff.” That started a fresh wave of tears, and Rey covered her mouth so she wasn’t too loud.

“Just making sure, man. Just … let us know how she’s feeling later. We care about her, you know?” She figured that Ben must have nodded or something because all she heard after that was several footsteps and her front door opening and closing.

When she heard Ben’s footsteps headed back toward the bedroom, she dashed to the bed and quickly got comfortable. She’d just laid her head among the pillows when Ben opened the door. “Alright, so we’ve made a nice bowl of spaghetti, Rose and Hux went home, and now it’s just us,” he announced as he came and sat beside her in bed.

“Thank you,” she said, her voice cracking just a little.

“No worries, sunshine. Why don’t you sit up for me?” She pushed herself up to sit up beside him and took the bowl and fork from him. As she began eating, he rubbed her back.

It was silent for several moments as she stuffed her face with pasta. Ben’s large, warm hand didn’t falter on her back, and she appreciated everything about him so much. With spaghetti in her mouth, she murmured, “I know I’m too much. I’m sorry.” 

That’s what caused his hand to falter and, with so much conviction, he declared, “You’re not too much, Rey. Fuck whoever told you that. They’re dead wrong.” She gazed at him, more tears falling from her eyes. 

“I’m angry and I cry a lot. I can’t drive, and I’m an orphan who can’t let people get too close. I’m too much, Ben.”

“Rey, you are not too much. You’re perfect. You’re rightful in your anger. Plutt is an asshole who used you and then decided to throw you away like trash at the last second. It’s okay to cry, it’s actually a great release of emotion. And I like driving you everywhere, it gives me more time with you. You let me get close, didn’t you? You let Finn and Rose get close. You’re not too much, Rey. You’re perfect for me. Tell that you understand that you’re not too much for me.” She searched his eyes for any hint that he was lying to her, but his eyes, as always, were honest.

Her heart still broken, she decided to let him have the last word and nodded her head. “I understand.” 

Ben took a hefty breath and commanded, “Any time you feel like you’re too much, tell me. I want to know and convince you that you’re wrong.” She sniffled and nodded her head. “Now, you’re going to finish that bowl and take a nap because I think you’re overtired.” 

“Okay.” She went back to eating, and he went back to rubbing her back. As soon as she finished her bowl of spaghetti, he wrapped her up in a blanket and she fell asleep.

She wasn’t sure how long she slept for, but when she woke up, it was because someone just slammed the front door. Taking a deep breath, she glanced around and found Ben absent. She coughed and cleared her throat and stood from the bed, pulling the blanket around her shoulders. Walking into the front room, she blinked the sleep out of her eyes and spotted Ben going to pick some boxes up. “Where’d you go?” she whimpered, her brain still blanketed by sleep.

Ben lifted his head and hummed, “Hi, sunshine. How did you sleep?” She just sighed and walked over to him. He stood up and opened his arms for her.

Burying her face in his chest, she wrapped her arms tight around him and quietly questioned, “What have you been doing?” 

He rubbed her back and answered, “I thought I’d take care of some packing, knock some of it out, and we can bring it with us whenever we head back to mine.” She nodded against his collar bone and breathed deeply. “Do you want to stay here tonight? I understand it if you’re more comfortable here after the day you’ve had.” 

“No, I’d rather go to yours.” Ben breathed a happy sigh into her hair. “How long was I out for?” 

Rubbing his fingers into her scalp, he explained, “A little less than two hours. You must have needed it.” 

Pulling away and rubbing her eyes, she responded, “Well, yeah, that asshole woke me up with a call at five in the morning. I’m still angry about that. Not nearly as angry as I was before, but definitely angry.” He chuckled and nodded in understanding. Then she glanced around the room and asked, “Do you want to keep packing? We could probably finish it all up tonight. Maybe we won’t be able to take all the boxes, but we can finish packing and then come back some other time to get the rest.” 

“If you’d like to. You know what they say, team work makes the dream work,” he said with a cheeky grin, and she blinked at him.

“Never talk to me again,” she joked, going to pull away. Before she could, Ben grinned and grabbed her by the nape of her neck. She smiled as well as he pulled her into a kiss. His fingers gently caressed the back of her neck, and she stepped closer to him.

She didn’t know that Ben wouldn’t leave, but she was going to enjoy it while it lasted. She was going to enjoy all of the kisses and encouragement, and maybe she could convince him to have sex with her tonight. It wasn’t that she really had to convince him, it was just that they both had been thinking about their baby and their jobs and moving and all kinds of other things. She wanted them to relax tonight, for them to just enjoy each other’s company.

With a soft breath, Ben pulled away and fondly studied her face. “You’re so gorgeous,” he whispered, leaning forward to kiss her nose.

She smiled and responded, “So are you, Ben.” 

“Alright, sunshine, let’s get started.”

She tossed the blanket back into the bedroom. Then they buckled down and packed away. His stupid saying somehow was correct. Together, they did pack everything up. It was a quick job and, since the furniture came with the apartment, they didn’t have to worry about it.

They put all of her clothes and a few boxes in the Falcon and got headed over. As they drove, he told her, “If you want, on Monday, I could get Chewie to pick you up. He could bring you to the garage, get you set up over there. Then it will all be official.” She turned to him and nodded her head. He reached over and rested his hand on her inner thigh. “Sounds like a plan.” 

It was quiet for a little while, though Rey didn’t take her eyes off of Ben. He seemingly ignored it for the while, but he was the one who broke the silence in the end. Catching her eyes, he murmured, “What are you looking at?” 

“Oh, nothing, just my handsome boyfriend,” she sang, resting her chin against the heel of her hand. He smiled and shook his head. Then she reached over and played with the buttons on Ben’s shirt. His cheeks burned red and he flicked his eyes back over to the road. “What do you say we just …”

“Rey.” 

“... Stick to us tonight? Naked, in bed, your cock inside me.” 

A little more urgently this time, Ben repeated, “Rey.” She swiftly pulled back, leaning back against the door and smirking at him. He cleared his throat, and she just grinned. “You are something else, Rey Johnson.” 

“Maybe, but you love it.” This time, it was him smirking at her, and the air was being punched out of her lungs. She didn’t know what that smirk meant, but she had a feeling.

They arrived and carried everything inside. She wanted to go straight to bed. They could leave unpacking to tomorrow. But Ben was insistent that he wanted everything they brought over settled in before they did anything else. They started with putting her clothes in the new dresser he'd got just for her. She was helpful only because she knew this could get done quicker if she was.

And surprisingly, it did get done quickly. It didn’t even bother her this time, the knowledge that she and Ben made a great team.

Once it was finished, they stood in the kitchen together with glasses of water in their hands. As Ben turned to set his in the sink, Rey pressed her hand to her back and let out a little sigh. He instantly turned back to her, taking her glass and crowding her against the counter. “Hi,” she giggled as he leaned down and got his mouth very close to hers.

“I believe …” He pecked her lips. “ … There was mention …” Her cheek. “ … Of you in my bed …” Her neck. “ … Naked with my cock inside you.” She smiled when he nipped at her collar bone. He didn’t waste a second more before grabbing her thighs, lifting her up, and carrying her to the bedroom.

“I’m so excited to wake up with you in my bed every morning. I get to kiss you and hold you and make you feel so good,” he sang as he lowered her onto the bed. She rested against the black sheets and smiled up at him.

“I get to see your crazy bedhead every morning,” she teased, and he playfully growled at her, grabbing her wrists and pinning her to the bed. She was so ready to be with him every morning and evening and see him get ready for work every morning and attend all his basketball games and support him no matter what. She was ready for this.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey gets started at the garage with Han and Chewie, and Han admits that his son is just as much of a scoundrel as he is.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that this took forever to write. Writer's block sucks. Anyway, this is a short chapter to establish her relationship with Han and Chewie. Hope you like it! :)

She was rushing through her whole morning routine, all because she had forgotten to set an alarm after Ben left for work this morning. She had woken up with him as he began getting ready for work, had her little bout of morning sickness, and then returned to bed. It had just totally slipped her mind that Ben had said his uncle was picking her up around nine. So here she was quickly finishing her third bun at the back of her head as the doorbell rang.

She whined softly and stepped away from the bathroom mirror, swiftly finishing the bun and moving to the front door. Taking a deep breath and smoothing her white blouse down, she pulled the door open. Her hazel eyes widened when she sees how tall this man was, but she quickly contained herself, plastering a big smile on her face. “Hi, I’m running late, so if you just give me a second to grab my bag, we can go.” 

“No, go ahead, take your time,” the older man replied, pushing his dark hair back as he stepped inside and closed the door behind him. She moved to grab her bag, and he added, “I’m Chewie, by the way, Ben’s uncle. Though I’m sure you knew that.” 

Rey’s smile turned genuine as she turned back to him and responded, “Yes, I did, as I’m sure you know that I’m Rey, his girlfriend.” He grinned as well and reached a hand out to shake hers.

“It’s nice to meet you finally. Ben’s been talking about you forever.” 

As she shook his hand, she told him, “It’s nice to meet you as well. All the stories I’ve heard about you from Ben are … certainly an adventure.” They both chuckled and walked outside together. Following him to his car, she stated, “Thank you for this, by the way.” 

“It’s no problem whatsoever, Rey. It gives me a chance to get away from the garage for a little bit. I think I’m there more than I am home.” Rey chuckled because she understood that too well. She was always at Plutt’s when she worked there. 

They climbed into the low riding Mustang and got on their way, Chewie expertly navigating the busy traffic of the city. “So Han and Ben tell me you’re talented with a car engine. You rebuilt Dameron’s engine?” 

Almost nervously, she explained, “I guess you could say that I’m talented. It’s really nothing. Plus, an engine like that is supposed to purr, not snarl angrily.” He chuckled and nodded in understanding.

“I think you’ll fit right in with us, Rey.” She smiled and hoped that he’s right. “How do you like Ben’s Falcon, by the way? Han and I used to fix that thing up all the time when Han owned it.”

“I adore it, but now I’m the one fixing it up all the time.” Chewie chuckled, and she explained to him, “Did you know that there was a speed compressor on it?” He glanced at her incredulously as they came to a stoplight, and she nodded her head. “Yep. I was wondering why he couldn’t shift gears all that well, so he let me take a look at it. It was easy to miss, and there was no other way to bypass it, so I just yanked it out.” He threw his head back and barked out a laugh, and she grinned proudly.

“I can see why Ben and Han love you.” 

Warmth spread in her chest at the idea of Ben loving her, but she tried to keep her reaction to a minimum. She’d never had anyone love her fully if they’d seen her anger. She was sure Ben would change his mind if he ever saw it all, but she wouldn’t let him see. She couldn’t.

Soon enough, they were at the garage Chewie owned alongside Han, and as they walked in, Han greeted them with a big grin. “Well, you certainly took your time,” he stated, giving Chewie a pointed look. Rey smiled and pulled her bag higher onto her shoulder while Chewie returned his pointed look.

“It’s not even ten, and we all know you weren’t really doing anything without me.” 

“It’s nine fifty-seven, close enough! And I always do just fine without you,” Han exclaimed playfully while he and Rey followed the towering man to the office in the corner of the garage.

“Tell that to his bidet,” Chewie joked to Rey, and she laughed quietly. Han just went behind the desk and started grumbling to himself, though it was clear he was incredibly fond of his partner in crime. 

Chewie and she sat in the two chairs in front of the desk, and Han stood behind it, digging through the papers piled high on it. “Oh, I should have told you before we left,” Chewie started, and she looked over at him with wide, curious eyes. “That shirt isn’t going to last you long once we start working.” 

Clutching her bag tightly, she smiled and proudly declared, “Oh, I know. I brought an old t-shirt, but I wanted to make a good first impression.” 

Han glanced at her over the top of the stack of papers and chuckled while Chewie muttered to himself, “Just like Leia.” That caused both Rey and Han to look over at him with eyes wide as saucers. She slowly turned to stare at the floor awkwardly, but Han kept his eyes on Chewie.

She hoped that didn’t offend Han. She knew she could never live up to what Senator Organa was. Senator Organa was powerful, a popular role model for all young girls, and Rey was just a scavenger for scraps out of the foster system of Jakku. Leia was a lovely wife and mother, and Rey was … some orphan girl that comes from nothing. She was nothing like Leia, and she could never hope to be.

“Chewie, where’s the fucking log in for the computer?” was what Han finally said that broke Rey from her thoughts. As Chewie stood and pointed at the sticky note hanging off of the monitor, Rey bit at her lower lip and picked at her fingernails. She really needed to not screw this up.

“We’re taking you on just so he will finally clean this disgusting office up,” Chewie joked to her again, and she relaxed a little and chuckled. 

Han sat in his chair and pointed at Chewie. “I’m already sick of your mouth today and it’s barely ten in the morning.” Rey did her best to stifle her laughter while Chewie openly grinned like he’s proud of himself. Then Han looked at her and said, “I apologize, Rey. This is the stuff that rubbed off on Ben.” 

“Ah, no, he’s a little bit worse with the cocky grins,” she replied, half because it was true, the other half to tease him.

Han smirked and told her, “That one’s on me. I apologize.” She just grinned and shrugged her shoulders. “He’s a Solo, a scoundrel through and through.” 

“Yeah, he’s really a scoundrel, that middle school librarian.” The two men bursted into laughter, and Rey’s pride swelled within her. Yeah, she’d do just fine alongside these men.

Once Han figured out how to log into the computer, along with some more teasing from Chewie, they started putting her information into the computer so they could add her onto the pay roll. Chewie took the time to explain all the details of the job - what her description would be, what the pay would be, and some of the normal common sense policies they had. Her eyes widened when she heard the pay, but she decided not to make any comments about how it was double what she made at Plutt’s.

After she changed into her t-shirt, they got out onto the floor and she easily kept up with the two old men. She didn’t know if they were impressed with her, because they kept their facial expressions pretty neutral, but it was better than the leering that Plutt always did, so she’d take it.

As opposed to the lack of lunch breaks at Plutt’s, Chewie went out and got them some burgers. They sat down in the back office and took some time to joke around some more and eat. Chewie told some stories about Ben when he was little and Chewie could lift him over his head. While Chewie spoke, Han took some photos out of his wallet and handed them to Rey. She handled them with a level of care she’d never handled anything.

There were three polaroids, all of them clearly dated. One was a picture of a far younger Han pushing a little boy that must have been Ben on a swing set. The second was of a very gorgeous, brunette woman that must be Leia holding that same little boy, who somehow had even darker hair than his mother. The third was of all three of them, sitting on what looks like a plaid picnic blanket. Ben was curled up in Leia’s lap, Leia was curled up in Han’s lap, and they were all smiling brightly at the camera.

“These are beautiful, Han,” she whispered, studying them closely and trying to understand how it fell apart as Ben got older.

Han informed her, “I never thought I could love anyone as much as I love Leia, and then Ben showed me that I could love someone even more.” Tears brimmed her eyes, and she took a moment to blink them away before handing the photos back.

“Ben’s so lucky to have you, Han,” she whispered, wishing that she had had a father who kept old photographs in his wallet.

Han chuckled and shook his head. “I’m so much luckier to have him.” That somehow broke her heart a little more.

Once they finished their burgers, they got back to work. Rey kept her head down and worked hard to pass the time. She and Chewie made conversation about random things, like books and movies and restaurants. Han chimed in every once in awhile, but it was clear that Chewie wanted to keep Rey comfortable. She thought she could be comfortable around these two even if they didn’t talk.

Right after four, Rey rolled out from under a car in the station that Han and Chewie had assigned her to find Ben standing a few feet in front of her with a smirk on his face. He was leaning against the support beam that clarified her station from Chewie’s, and he looked amazing with his hair loose against his shoulders clad in the gorgeous black button-up he was wearing. “Look at you, sunshine, already so engulfed in your work,” he murmured through that smirk, and she saw that Han was completely right. He really was so much of Han that it shook her a little bit.

“Forgive me for trying to make a good first impression,” she responded, standing up and moving over to him. “What you really should be talking about is how you’re just skulking around my place of work, like a scoundrel.” 

He leaned down so his face was only inches from hers and stated, “You like me because I’m a scoundrel. There aren’t enough scoundrels in your life.” Out of the corner of her eye, she saw both Han and Chewie come out of their stations to watch the couple, Chewie with a big grin, Han with a thoughtful look on his face.

“I happen to like nice men,” she taunted, getting her own smirk on her face.

He leaned just slightly closer and whispered, “I’m a nice man.” 

Her smirk widened into a grin, and she responded, “No, you’re not.” He grinned as well and wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her into a kiss. Despite her hands being covered in grease, she reached up and cupped his jaw. They kissed for only a moment.

“Solo!” They pulled away, and Rey lowered her head in embarrassment while Ben span around to look at his father.

“Jesus, Dad. Thanks for a cock block.” 

“She’s already pregnant with your kid. I think your cock got pretty far.” Ben sputtered, Han smirked, and Chewie and Rey snorted. The two Solo men walked into the office together, and Rey turned to Chewie.

“I was right. You do fit right in,” the tall man declared, and Rey inhaled sharply. “Welcome to the family, little one.” Her eyebrows shot up as Chewie turned and went back to his work. She stared at his back for a moment before smiling down to herself. She didn’t need all this to keep her with Ben, but she wouldn’t take it for granted.

After a second, she went to get back to her own work, but Ben and Han came waltzing out of the office and Ben had her bag on his shoulder. “Come on, sunshine,” he called, holding his hand out to her.

Han added, “Have a good day, Rey.”

Over his shoulder, Chewie called, “I’ll be there by nine again tomorrow, little one.” Rey grinned and walked over to Ben, wiping her hands off on her old jeans and taking his hand.

“Bye, assholes!” Ben called, and they shouted insults back as they left.

As they walked to the Falcon, Rey stated, “We have to clean your neck up. You have grease all over you.” 

“We’ll take a shower when we get home. Also, it’s so much easier to go to work when I have something to come home to.”

“Yeah?” They stopped at the Falcon, and he smiled and nodded at her. “Me too.” They got into the Falcon, both with big smiles on their faces.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey and Ben have been together for a few months now, Ben comforts Rey after a nightmare, and Rey meets someone she really doesn't want to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter has gore in one scene and smut in the next, so beware. I'm finally getting this out, and I'm kind of really excited about this chapter. There's so many plot points introduced, and I'm ready for it. Ignore my nerdiness and enjoy! Let me know what you think in the comments!

Before Rey knew it, it’d been three months since she discovered she was pregnant and started her relationship with Ben. She’d gotten rather comfortable with their daily routine. Ben got up around six and spent a few moments pressing kisses against her face and neck. Then he went into the bathroom to take a shower and start getting ready for the day. Depending on how she felt, she might have followed him in there to lean over the toilet and push through the morning sickness. After brushing her teeth, no matter what, she ended up in the kitchen putting together Ben’s lunch for the day. When Ben got out of the shower and began picking his clothes for the day out, she stood behind him and pressed kisses into his shoulder blades. After he got dressed, they went back to the kitchen and he made them a quick breakfast while she made sure he had everything for work packed up. They sat and ate breakfast, and then he pressed one last kiss to her lips before leaving. Once he was gone, she set an alarm for 8:30 and went back to bed for awhile. When her alarm went off, she got up and got ready. Chewie showed up around nine to pick her up and they got to the garage around ten. She worked hard with Chewie and Han and found herself satisfied at the end of the day. Now that Han and Ben’s basketball season was over, Ben showed up at four every day to pick her up. He took her home to shower and get settled down for the night. If it was Wednesday, they went back out with Armie and Rose for a double date. If it was Friday, he dropped her off at Paige’s place and went out with Armie and Poe.

She preferred their weekends though. Neither of them got up until at least nine either day. They stayed in bed most of their Saturdays until Ben convinced Rey to get up so they could go on a nice dinner date. On Sundays, they did their regular shopping trips. They tried to be pretty thorough with their grocery shopping trips, seeing as her cravings had only gotten worse and Ben didn’t like going to the grocery store more than once in a week. If they forgot anything, he let Rey take the Falcon sometime during the week to go out and grab it.

Everything was comfortable and lovely and wonderful. Ben put up with her weird mood swings and cravings. He held her when she wasn’t feeling well, and he buried his face in his neck and let her hold him when he wasn’t feeling well. They took care of each other, and she might have loved him. 

Well, there was no might about it. She totally did. She'd been trying to convince herself that she didn’t, in case something went wrong and Ben left her. Though Ben hadn’t shown any signs of wanting to leave her.

Either way, she wasn’t going to take what she had for granted.

Naturally though, things she couldn’t control started slipping through the cracks. For the first time in a long time, she woke up from an awful nightmare.

It was late Thursday night or, rather, early Friday morning. She had fallen asleep curled around Ben’s back. She wished she could get back to their comforting bedroom. Instead, she was stood in this messy, cold living room looking at the large, fat man standing over a crying Rose. Finn and Paige were beginning to help her up, and the three of them were all looking over to Rey for help.

She raised her fist and punched the large, fat man in the back of his head. He went down instantly, and his body exploded into a shower of blood. Rey was absolutely covered in it. She fell to her knees and stared at her red soaked hands. How could she do this? 

“What the fuck is wrong with you, Rey?” She looked up and found Armie and Rose glaring at her with horror in their eyes. She looked back down to the lifeless body in front of her and found that it was Ben holding a little crying baby in his unmoving arms as he gazed at her with dead eyes.

“No, no, no!” she cried, crawling over to hold his head to her chest. “Come back to me, Ben. I didn’t mean to.” 

“You did exactly as you should’ve, Rey,” a dark, gravelly voice said, and she looked up once more to an old, decrepit man staring down at her with yellow, glowing eyes.

“He’s dead. How is that right?” she sobbed angrily.

“Let your anger rule, Rey. Let the darkness take over,” he demanded, holding a red laser sword out to her. She glared up at him because he was absolutely insane.

Ben shifted in her arms, so she turned back to him and found him now sitting up facing her with those lifeless eyes closed. After a moment, they opened, and he shouted, “Rey, wake up!”

Rey gasped for air as she did wake up. She shot up into a sitting position and glanced around the room frantically to remember where she was. “Hey, hey, hey. Rey, I need you to calm down.” She let her eyes focus and found Ben sitting with her, holding her shoulders, and no longer looking lifeless. “Baby, try to match my breathing,” he demanded, breaking through the ringing in her ears.

A car drove through the gated community and the headlights briefly lit up their bedroom.

Ben moved one of her hands to his chest so that she could match his breathing and gently placed both of his hands on her stomach where she’d finally begun showing. She gradually caught her breath, and he gently encouraged her, “Sweetheart, you’re doing so well. Keep going for me, okay?” She nodded and looked deeply into his lovely, brown eyes.

She took the time to catch her breath and slow her heartbeat. He rubbed her stomach and carded his fingers through her hair and kissed the tears rolling down her cheeks as he patiently waited for her. When she was finally back to herself, she buried her face in his warm chest and breathed in his deep, masculine scent. “Are you okay? You were thrashing around like a maniac.” 

Leaving her head pressed to his chest, she whispered, “It was a bad dream.” 

A fresh wave of tears hit as he replied, “I could tell. Do you want to talk about it?” 

She lifted her head from his chest to look at his face and quietly admit, “I had killed you, and you were still holding our little baby.” Ben’s eyes widened and he frowned at her. Her throat closed up, and she knew better than to say anything else in case she admitted the darker things from her teenage hood that she’d hidden for so long.

“Rey, it wasn’t real, and it won’t be. Right? Because … Well, because I love you.” She sniffled and blinked at him, wondering how he could say it so easily. “And I won’t let you get that far into anything, right? We both know better, don’t we?” She nodded and hiccuped out a sob. He lifted his hands to her face and wiped her tears away. “I’ll take care of us.”

Finally, she let the words fall from her lips even though they terrified her. “I love you too, Ben.” They stared at each other for a moment before he was grinning at her. Through her tears, she grinned back. They would be okay. If they stayed together, they would be okay.

He leaned forward and gently pressed his lips to hers. At last, her tears stopped, and she breathed deeply as she kissed him back. His hand curled around to cup the nape of her neck and thread through the three buns that had fallen out in her sleep. She moved her lips against his, her mood quickly changing. Ben must have easily sensed this change, because he pulled away and looked at her carefully. “Rey, I don’t want to push you into anything when you’re vulnerable.” 

“You’re not,” she whispered, shaking her head and pushing herself up onto her knees. He leaned back a little as she threw her leg over his thighs.

“Do you promise?” Straddling his thighs and resting her forearms against his shoulders, she held eye contact with him and nodded. “Okay, lay on your back for me, sweetheart.” 

“My belly’s going to get in the way.”

“No, it won’t. You’re not even that far along.” She pulled back and glared at him, and he sighed out a little breath of amusement. “Okay, Rey. What do you want to do?” She glanced around and thought about how they could do this.

“Maybe … I could sit on your lap, but face away from you.” 

He eyed her for a second before murmuring, “Okay, but you have to lean your head against my shoulder.” She nodded obediently and span around, sitting back on his lap and feeling his semi-hard cock nestle against her ass. Then she leaned back against his shoulder and pressed her nose into his jaw. “Rey,” he hummed quietly, caressing her stomach and kissing her shoulder. That set her off a little because she was already always turned on by him, and then he spoke lowly into her ear and made it worse.

“Ben,” she whined, reaching up to thread her fingers through the hair at the back of his head. He just scraped his teeth against her skin and gently cupped her breath.

“This isn’t going to last long at once I get inside you, so I’m going to make you cum at least once before,” he told her, sliding his hand down to her wet heat. She sighed softly as he teased her and avoided touching her clit. “I can’t wait until you start showing more, Rey. You’re so beautiful like this, so beautiful with my baby inside you.” She buried her face against his neck and whimpered.

“Please, Ben.” He swiped over her clit once quietly, and she tugged at his hair.

“I’ve got you, sweetheart. I’ve always got you.” Suddenly, he was rubbing her clit with purpose and with every other breath, a moan was punched out of her. “You’re so good for me, aren’t you? My sweet, little sunshine.” As he said that into her ear, he easily glided a finger into her.

“Ben,” she squeaked, pulling her face out of his neck to look down at his hand. He hummed in approval and pressed a warm kiss to the back of her neck. Her hands settling on his thighs on either side of her, she ground against his hand. He took his time with slow thrusts of his finger and slowly worked her open to slide another into her. She could already feel her orgasm building, so she breathed slowly and leaned against his shoulder again. “Oh, Ben.”

“You’re so wet, Rey, so good for me.” Desperately, she clenched around him, and he caught her ear lobe between his lips. A whimper slid out of her mouth, and she was almost there.

“Ben, I’m going to cum, Ben,” she rushed out, and his thumb swiped at her clit faster and faster.

“So good, sweetheart. You’re going to cum for me like a good girl and then I’m going to slide my cock into you and make you cum again. Then we’re going to sleep and we’ll do it all over again when we wake up. You deserve to feel so good, baby, you deserve this so much.” He pressed against her g-spot, and she couldn’t stop it. 

A grunt was shoved out of her as the orgasm swelled inside of her and pops. Ben whispered praises into her ear and helped her ride it out as she chanted his name. It almost felt like it went on forever, and she was still recovering when he gently slid his fingers out of her. “You did so well, sunshine. I’m going to put you on your back, okay?” 

As he began moving her where he wanted her, she stammered, “Ben, I thought we said …”

“Your belly isn’t going to get in the way, baby. I want to see your face.” Before she knew it, she was lying on her back with her head against the pillows and Ben situating his hips between her thighs. He got this little, concentrated look on his face, furrowing his eyebrows, as he lined himself up, and she couldn’t help her little smile.

“Ben, wait.” Instantly, the man she was pretty sure was the love of her life stopped and looked at her with wide, concerned eyes.

“What is it? Are you okay?” 

Her smile widened and she reached up to brush his wild hair out of his face. “Just give me a second to look at you.” His face softened, and she beamed and brushed her fingers against the crinkles by his eyes. “You’re so pretty, Ben,” she whispered. Not wasting another moment, he leaned down and pressed his lips to hers. As he balanced himself with one hand on the headboard, she hummed and spread her legs a little wider.

Without breaking the kiss, he began sliding into her. She had to pull away so that she could gasp for breath. There was a little bit of a stretch, but the burn only added to her pleasure. While she dug her fingers into his back, he practically snarled into her ear and fully seated himself in her. “Oh my god,” she breathed, and he skimmed his nose over her cheek.

“God, you always feel so good. If I could just do this forever, my life would be complete.” That pushed a little laugh out of her, and she reached down to play with her clit to make it easier for them. He pulled back to watch himself slide in and out, but she just kept her eyes on his face.

“We’re not doing this when we wake up again, because both of us will be exhausted, but we will be cancelling plans tonight,” she informed him, watching this satisfied, little grin spread across his face.

“Sounds perfect, sunshine.” He kept the pace slow, but she wanted it faster, so she ran her hands over his back and squeezed at his ass. “Jesus, Rey.”

“Faster, Ben.” 

“I won’t hurt you?” he asked, meeting her eyes with that nervous look that he had the first night they slept together and he was making sure she wasn’t drunk.

Intentionally brushing her fingers against his ears, she smiled at him and told him, “No, no, no. You won’t hurt me, Ben. You’re doing so well. Just a little bit faster, my love.” His eyes widened, and then he sped up. 

How good it felt with Ben punched a laugh right out of her, but he didn’t notice, reaching down with the hand that he wasn’t using to balance himself and playing with her clit. “Come on, Rey. You can do it, sunshine. One more time for me, and then I’ll fill you up.” She scrambled to find something to grab onto to keep herself grounded for her second orgasm. She could already feel it rolling over her.

“Ben, Ben, Ben.” Her eyes rolled back in her head and, this time, her orgasm rushed over her like a wave and spread through her gradually. 

“There it is, sweetheart. So beautiful.” And not a moment later, Ben was cumming in her as well. They rode it out together and she clung to him, overwhelmed by it all.

It took several moments for either of them to come down, and when they did, he quickly rolled off of her. As they caught their breath, he reached over and gently rubbed her stomach. She smiled at him and rested her hand over his. He lifted his eyes and met her gaze. Instantly, he was smiling back at her, and she giggled happily.

“I love you, Rey,” he murmured, pressing his forehead to hers.

“I love you, Ben.” They lied there like that, their hands over her growing stomach, for several moments.

Then he pulled away and declared, “I’m going to clean us up, and then we’re going to sleep. I need sleep before dealing with middle schoolers today.” She chuckled as he rolled out of bed and went into the bathroom.

Quickly after, they were both asleep, and this time, Rey dreamt of sweet things like Ben holding their little baby and both of them smiling the same smile at her. When she woke up to see Ben off, she was in a far better mood. Ben seemed a little grumpy though, as they sat in the kitchen and ate breakfast.

“I don’t want to go to work today,” he said with this little pout that killed her. She smiled at him and carded her fingers through the hair at the back of his head. “I want to go back to sleep and spend all day in bed with you.” 

“I know, my love, but just think. You and I aren’t even going anywhere tonight, right? So we go to work for a little bit, you pick me up, and we can go back to bed. We just have to make it through today, okay?” He gazed at her closely for several moments before leaning forward and pressing his lips against hers. 

Quickly, she pulled away and worked to suppress her gags. “Ben, you have eggs in your mouth.” Her boyfriend grinned smugly and giggled to himself, and she playfully glared at him. “You are so gross.”

Rapidly shaking his head, he fired back, “I don’t want to hear it, Rey Johnson. You ate a banana immediately after eating a pickle last night.” 

“I’m pregnant, I have cravings,” she defended herself before they both bursted into laughter. 

She was so happy with him, it didn’t make sense. Finn used to set her up on dates with men who were pretty similar to Ben, and she just didn’t go well with them. There was just something about Ben, and she was not sure what it is. Either way, he and their child, they were everything to her.

“I have to get going, sunshine. But I’ll see you when I pick you up from the garage.” 

As he stood and gathered his things, she told him, “Okay, can we grab some more pickles on the way home? I finished them last night.” 

“Of course, my love.” He leaned down to give her another kiss and, as he pulled away, she pretended to gag. “I don’t want to hear it, Rey, you love it.” 

Her eyes falling to his ass as he walked to the front door, she told him, “I don’t, but I do love you.” 

Over his shoulder, he threw her a lovely grin and responded, “I love you too.” She smiled down at her breakfast as he leaved.

She was too keyed up to go back to sleep after that, so she played the playlist he’d made just for her on Spotify over the bluetooth speaker he had and straightened the place up. Soon enough, Chewie was there to pick her up, and they headed over to the garage. When they got there, she hooked her phone up to the radio and played the same playlist. As she worked on a car, she bounced on the balls of her feet to the beat of the songs that play.

At one point, Han popped out of the office and gave her a look. She stopped what she was doing - trying to fix the broken window in this old Buick - and looked back at him. “You said this was the playlist that Ben made for you?” he asked, and Chewie looked over as well. She nodded, and Han continued, “His mother and I used to dance to this song in our kitchen all the time.” Rey stopped and listened to the song - In Your Eyes by Peter Gabriel.

“I can skip it, if you want me to,” she said, not wanting to bring up any hurtful memories for Han. He smiled and shook his head.

“No, kid. It makes me happy to hear it.” He disappeared back into the office, and she stared after him for a second before smiling down at the car door she was working with.

Time passed pretty quickly, and Ben was at her side with her work bag over his shoulder. “You ready to go, sunshine?” he asked as she wiped her hands on her rag. 

“Um …” She gave the window a try and it worked. A cheer slipped out of her as she put the covering back over all the wires. “Yes. I just need to tell Han he can call Becky and give her her car back,” she stated, turning to see him grinning at her. “What?”

“Nothing, you’re just cute. Go tell my dad, and let’s get out of here.” She smiled and went into the office where Han was sitting working on filing the mess of papers on the desk.

“Hey, so Becky’s window is done. You can call her whenever you’re ready. Ben is here, so I’m going to get going,” she explained, pulling her phone off of the AUX cord.

Han looked up at her from the filing cabinet and said, “Okay, let me walk you out. I want to talk to Ben.” She nodded, and they walked out of the back office together.

Rey thought she might have been spending too much time with Han, because they reacted to seeing Chewie and Ben playfully wrestling the same exact way. As Ben pulled Chewie into a swift headlock, Han and Rey both stopped in their tracks and dropped their jaws. Chewie grunted and stood up straight, pulling Ben off of the ground. Ben’s eyes widened and he let go, landing hard on his feet.

“Jesus, Uncle,” he scoffed while Chewie chuckled.

Meanwhile, Han whispered to Rey, “You sure you want to have kids with Ben? I mean, look at him.” Rey chuckled and nodded her head. Han smiled and they continued over to Chewie and Ben. “Hey, I would appreciate if you wouldn’t rile everyone up every time you come into my garage,” Han teased his son, who turned to him and rolled his eyes.

“I don’t rile everyone up, I just rile Chewie up.” Rey smiled and stepped into his side, his arm immediately going over her shoulders.

Then Han said, “You want to come over for lunch tomorrow? We haven’t done that in awhile.” 

With a look of pure adoration, Ben nodded his head and responded, “Of course, Dad. We’ll be there around twelve.” 

“Sounds like a plan. Alright, you guys have a good night.” 

“You too, Han. And you, Chewie,” Rey called. Chewie smiled and waved at them as they walked out. Then she took Ben’s hand and swung it back and forth.

“Is there anywhere else we need to go other than the grocery store before we head home?” Ben questioned as they climbed into the Falcon.

“No, and you don’t even have to come in with me. I’ll be quick.” He hummed in approval and waited until she was buckled her seatbelt to start driving. She had to give him kudos, he’d stopped driving recklessly since she told him she was pregnant. He didn’t speed nor did he risk anything, even when she wasn’t in the car. Armie had told her that driving with him wasn’t so bad anymore, and that made her so happy. She thought that maybe, now that he really had something to look forward to, he didn’t want to risk it so much anymore.

As he pulled into a parking spot in the grocery store parking lot, he told her, “In and out, please.” 

“Of course.” While he pulled his phone out, she climbed out of the car and headed inside. She headed over to the aisle where the pickles were and took a moment to find the exact ones she wanted.

“So you’re the one that’s made an honest man out of Ben.” Rey swiftly stood up straight and looked at the old man standing next to her. He had long hair and a scruffy beard, and Rey didn’t like the energy rolling off of him. He was shorter than Han and Ben, and almost shorter than her.

“I’m sorry, do I know you?” she responded politely, though she was seriously considering just grabbing the pickles she wanted and taking off.

“You know, my nephew has certainly gotten smarter with age.” Rey was sure that this wasn’t Lando, so that only left Luke.

Her nostrils flaring as she took a deep breath, she stated, “I’m not so sure you have any right to judge whether Ben is smart or not.” The old man chuckled down at his feet, and Rey glanced down the aisle over the top of his head. Then, because she knew what this man had done and she was also hormonal, she threatened, “If you know what’s good for you, you’ll leave us alone.” That forced Luke to lift his head and gaze at her with skeptical eyes.

“If you know what’s good for you, you’ll leave Ben. He’s dangerous.” 

Sardonically smiling, she replied, “So am I, Luke. Have a good night.” 

Without her pickles, she took off, storming out of the store and jumping into the car. Ben immediately lifted his head and turned his phone off, his eyes widening when he heard how heavily she’s breathing. “Rey … What happened?” 

She watched the exit of the grocery store closely and informed him, “I think I just met Luke.” 

There was a beat or two before Ben murmured, “I’m sorry? I don’t think I heard you right.” She turned to him and worked on calming herself before her anger took over.

“I think I just met Luke,” she repeated, and Ben’s eyes were suddenly filled with this fear she’d never seen from him before. It made him look like he was a teenager again. “I … I was looking for the pickles I like, and he said that I must be the one who’s made an honest man out of you,” she said a little breathlessly. He just stared at her, so she continued, “I asked him if I knew him, because I was trying to be polite. He said that you’ve gotten smarter with age and called you his nephew, and I put the dots together. He couldn’t be Lando because I’ve spoken to Lando over the phone at the garage. And then I was angry because he hurt you, so I said that he doesn’t any right to judge you. And then I threatened him. Oh my god! I threatened him!”

Ben shook his head in confusion and asked, “Wait, what? You threatened him?” 

All of her nerves of meeting Luke that she didn’t even realize she had slipped out and forced her pitch up three octaves. “I don’t know. I know how he’s hurt you, so I figured it was better to be safe than sorry and so … I threatened him. I told him that if he knew what was good for him, he would leave us alone.” Ben’s eyebrows shot up as she kept going. “Then he said that if I knew what was good for me, I’d leave you because you’re dangerous. But like … so am I. So I said that I was, and then I told him to have a good night, and I left. I didn’t even get the pickles.” 

Ben narrowed his eyes and continued to eye her. She just patiently awaited his response. After several moments, he finally said, “You’re telling me … that you met my Uncle Luke for the first time … and he’s not rude to you … but because I’ve told you how he’s hurt me … the first thing you do is threaten him?” She blinked several times and thought about it for a second before grimacing awkwardly and nodding. As he continued to eye her like he was in shock, she watched his eyes well up with tears. 

“Ben,” she whispered, taking his hand. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to overstep or anything.” 

With a wet chuckle, he faced ahead of them and argued, “You didn’t, Rey. I’ve just never had someone defend me against Luke.” 

Confidently, she declared, “I would do it a thousand times over, Ben.” He turned back to her, the tears falling from his eyes. “You’re everything to me. I told you, neither of us are alone anymore.” He squeezed her hand and she added, “I don’t care if you’ve made mistakes, okay? Obviously, Luke has too. So have I, so has Chewie, so has your dad. None of us are perfect, right? But we’re working on it.” 

“Rey … I can’t describe how much I love you.” She just smiled and leaned forward, pressing a soft kiss to his cheek.

“Let’s go home, okay? I can go a night without pickles.” He chuckled and nodded, wiping his eyes and pulling out of the parking space.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maybe the future isn't so soft.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this one is filled with a little angst. i restarted it three times before i came to a version i liked, so here you have it. let me know what you think in the comments. :)

With Luke’s arrival, Rey was sure of three things: there was a side to Ben that she’d never seen before, Han was lying to them about speaking to Luke because he was scared of losing Ben, and she was just barely learning of the mess of family drama that she’d walked into.

Sure, she knew she wouldn’t instantly know everything about Ben when they got together, but she figured he would tell her if something was really bad from his past.Then again, she hadn’t told him everything either.Either way, Armie and Poe were over a lot more from there on out, and the little trio was very secretive of their meetings.It was a little alarming, but she trusted the three of them.

And then, she connected the dots that Han was lying to them about Luke the day after she first met Luke.

That morning, she woke up in bed alone.She could only worry about it for a moment before she was shot into an awful bout of morning sickness.She spent a good fifteen minutes bent over the toilet, and the worry really set in when Ben never appeared behind her to comfort her.After washing her face and brushing her teeth, she pulled on the fleece robe he had given her the day after she moved in and set off in search of him.

She found him in the dining room poring over what looked like a well-used journal.“What time is it?” she asked softly, catching his attention easily.He looked up at her with wide, curious eyes, one strand of hair falling out of the bun he’d put it into.

As she moved closer to him, she pushed that piece of hair out of his face and he answered, “It’s just barely six, my love.”Coming to stand beside him, she rubbed his shoulders and gazed into his eyes.Without having to hear her ask, he told her, “I just couldn’t sleep after last night, so I figured I might as well get up and do something to pass the time.”

“And what is it that you’re doing?”

He lifted the journal as a gesture to show her and explained, “This is the journal, or one of them, that I kept during my time with Luke.I was feeling … nostalgic, I suppose.”As he set the journal back down, she continued to study him and carded her fingers through what little hair that she could reach without ruining the bun.

“Do you regularly journal?”

Leaning against her side, he told her, “Yes, it was a coping tactic that I learned under Luke, the only one I really appreciated.It helped me slow down and process my emotions instead of just reacting.I still do it.I usually do it when I have time to myself at work.”She hummed and glanced over the beautiful calligraphy.

“You have very beautiful handwriting,” she pointed out, turning back to him so that she didn’t accidentally read what he had written all those years ago.

“You can read it if you’d like,” he stated, like he could read her mind.“It’s kind of sad and lonely, but I won’t stop you.”

Shaking her head, she told him, “I love you, but I think I had enough sad loneliness in my own childhood.”He chuckled in understanding and closed the journal.“Come back to bed, love.We can talk there.”He let her tug him up out of his chair and back to their bedroom.

As they got settled under the black comforter, he stated, “I think I’m going to ask my dad if he knows anything about Luke.”

She leaned her head against his shoulder and responded, “Do you really think he’ll know something?”

His large hand spanning over most of her back and cradling her to him, he said, “I don’t know, but I do know that he might be hiding something if he thinks it’ll hurt our relationship.”Rey frowned, narrowed her eyes, and lifted her head to look at him.

“Do you do that?”

Ben’s eyes went down and to the left as he answered, “No, of course not.”Instantly, she knew that he was lying to her.Part of her wanted to mention that and call him out for it, but she stopped herself.At least she knew his tell now.She’d hold onto it for later.“Anyway, I’ll talk to my dad today about it, and then I’ll call Chewie and make a plan for you if Luke ever shows up at the garage.”

She sighed and laid her head back down on his chest, absentmindedly rubbing his stomach.“I hope Han doesn’t know anything.We don’t need any more drama.”Ben hummed and left it at that.

A little later in the day, they were sitting on the deck at Han’s house.Chewie and his wife Maz had been there when they showed up, and Maz completely adored Rey, so it was pretty convenient for all of them to have lunch together.It’d been pretty quiet, the conversation mostly being Han, Chewie, and Ben talking about work and what had been on the news.

While the three men were in a pretty deep conversation about the senator who just recently replaced Leia, Maz turned to Rey and questioned, “How are you feeling, dear?”

Rey smiled kindly and answered, “Tired, ready for a nap.”The two women laughed softly together.

“When Leia was pregnant with Benjamin, she was always tired.Even then, he was so restless.Couldn’t ever sit still long enough to let her rest.”Rey glanced over at her boyfriend who was laughing at something Chewie had said and yet, he still had an anxious gleam in his dark eyes.“I wouldn’t be surprised if he passed that down to his kid as well.”

She faced Maz again and stated, “Well, at least we’ll be well equipped to handle it.”Maz hummed with amusement, though Rey wasn’t so sure what she was amused by.

“As long as you stop looking behind you.”

That sent chills down Rey’s spine.“Excuse me?”

The old woman with big eyes said, “You focus too much on the mistakes you and others have made in the past.To give full care to your child, you need to let go of those mistakes.”For some reason, she reached up to the three buns at the back of her head, but Maz unceremoniously turned back to the main conversation.Rey kept her eyes on her, trying to register what had just happened.

After a few seconds, Ben grabbed Rey’s hand under the table and called her attention away.“So have you heard anything from Luke lately?”Though Rey was still in shock over the interaction she’d just had with Maz, she swiftly turned to Han to catch his reaction to Ben’s question.

His hazel eyes sliding down and to the left, Han shook his head and said, “No, of course not.Why, have you heard something?”

Rey didn’t have the chance to focus on how similar Ben and Han were because Ben demanded, “Rey, tell them what happened last night.”

Everyone’s eyes turned to Rey, and she momentarily lost her breath. After a second, she forced out, “Well, Ben and I had gone to the supermarket to grab something.I went in by myself, and Luke walked up on me as I was standing there.He said that I was the one who had made an honest man out of Ben.I couldn’t immediately place him, so I asked if I knew him.He called Ben his nephew and said that Ben had gotten smarter with age.I’ve spoken to Lando over the phone at the garage, so I knew it wasn’t him.That left Luke, and I know what he’s done.I told him that if he knew what was good for him, he’d leave me and Ben alone.He said that I should leave Ben because he’s dangerous, so I said that I was dangerous too and went to find Ben.”

Han gradually got paler during Rey’s explanation, but no one commented on it.Instead, Chewie looked at her and asked, “He went after you and not Ben?”

Rey shrugged and told him, “Well, Ben was in the car.”

Maz spoke up, “Yeah, but if Luke wanted to talk to Ben, he would’ve talked to Ben.He wanted to talk to _you_ , Rey.”

As Rey squeezed Ben’s hand in fear, he questioned, “You think he wanted to introduce himself to Rey?”Chewie and Maz both shrugged their shoulders, and Ben added, “Was it to get to me through her?”

Rey kept her eyes on Han’s pale face while Chewie pointed out, “That doesn’t sound like Luke.If he wanted to talk to you, Ben, he would have gone to you.”

Worry increasingly grew in Ben’s eyes, and he inquired, “What would he want with Rey though?”The older couple shrugged again, and Ben squeezed Rey’s hand this time.

The conversation somehow fizzled out after that, so Rey and Ben made to leave.Chewie and Maz followed them out.As Rey got settled into the Falcon, Ben told Chewie, “Yeah, I think we should come up with a plan in case Luke shows up at the garage.I don’t want Rey around him, and I trust you to take care of you.”

The incredibly tall man responded, “Yeah, just call me later and we’ll talk about it, kid.”He patted Ben on the shoulder and the two got into their cars.

And for the next few weeks, things remained quiet.Rey tried not to focus on the fact that Ben apparently hadn’t told her something that might have hurt their relationship, and Poe and Armie spent a lot of their time over at the apartment with Ben.A lot of evenings, after her regular nap, she found them talking quietly with Ben.The strange trio always managed to break it up before she could catch anything of importance.She loved and trusted all three of them, but it was still fishy, so she went to Finn and Rose.

It was the Uno Night exactly a month after she met Luke that she finally brought it up.As Finn slapped down a green plus four due to Paige, Rey questioned, “So do you guys know what Poe and Armie are doing with Ben so much lately?”Her two closest friends stopped and looked at her with furrowed eyebrows.

“What are you talking about?” Rose asked, and Rey frowned.

“Well, most times that I wake up from my evening nap, the three of them are in the dining room talking like whatever they’re doing is some big conspiracy,” she informed them, and Rose shook her head.

“No, Armie’s been working late a lot of nights.He can’t be with Poe and Ben.”

Finn grimaced at her and replied, “So has Poe.”Paige and Rey frowned at them as they sank with the realization that Rey was right.

“Why wouldn’t they tell you?” Rey questioned, finally feeling like she knew something of the conspiracy.Finn looked back and forth between her and Rose before sighing in defeat.

“Listen, there’s something I haven’t told you guys.Poe made me promise to keep it a secret, but you guys need to know if you plan to stay with Armie and Solo.”And Rey was incredibly nervous because how did Finn know what Ben had been hiding from her?“When they knocked Snoke out of the firm, they didn’t just _knock_ him out.”Rey already knew what he meant, but she didn’t want to admit it.

Meanwhile, Rose clearly didn’t know what he meant.Incredulously, she inquired, “What are you talking about?What do you mean?”

Paige gently took Rose’s hand as Finn declared, “They killed him, Rose.They kicked him out of the firm, and then they made up a plan to murder him and cover it up.Armie made sure they could cover it up from a legal standpoint, and Poe helped Ben get into Snoke’s mansion without being caught.”Rey inhaled sharply as she realized what he was silently claiming Ben did.

“And Ben killed him,” Paige filled in the blank for them, and she, Rose, and Finn turned to gauge Rey’s reaction.

She clicked her tongue and questioned, “And you’re positive that’s how it went down?”

With a shaky nod, Finn answered, “Poe was directly involved and he told me everything.”

Rey laid her hand of Uno cards down and processed that information.Ben had killed a man.He killed a man and acted like the world was a great and shining place still.Rey didn’t know much about Snoke other than that he kept Ben from returning to his dying mother.She couldn’t see a good reason as to why Ben would kill him.Then again, this could’ve been some weird scheme to get her to see that Ben was a “bad” guy.

And she’d had her own faults from the past.She hadn’t been as calculative, what she did was far more impulsive, but she still had done it.She needed to talk to Ben before she came to any sure reaction.

Slowly, she picked her hand back up and played her own wild card.“I’ve done bad things too.Red.”

The noise of the rest of the night was muted in her head.She didn’t hear much conversation over the static in her head, even when Ben brought a tipsy Armie and an equally high Poe to their significant others.The apartment got pretty loud after that, but the static still drowned them out.Ben seemed to notice that she was not fully there because he kept a close eye on her.

The car ride home wasn’t filled with static so much as just silence.Rey pressed her head back against the head rest while Ben tapped his fingers against the steering wheel.She didn’t even know how to bring up the elephant in the room, so she just opted to stay silent.Even as they were getting ready for bed, she was terribly unsure.

But as he left her alone in the bathroom after brushing his teeth, she looked at herself in the mirror and realized that she just needed to face the truth.She needed to listen to Maz and let go of the mistakes of the past.

Taking a deep breath, she clenched her night gown tightly in her fists and walked out into the bedroom.She found Ben sat on his side of the bed scrolling through his phone.It took him a second before he noticed her standing at the foot of the bed.Lowering his phone to the mattress, he smiled softly at her and said, “Is everything alright, my love?”

She pulled at her night gown and declared, “Ben, we need to talk.”His face fell, and he sat up straight, giving her his whole attention.

“What is it?”

She took three more deep breaths and stated, “We were talking tonight, and Finn brought something up that I felt I should …”There was no easy way to say this, so she decided to just ask it.“What happened with Snoke?”He blinked at her several times, and she watched him come to the decision to stick to his story.

“What do you mean?I told you, we pushed him out of the firm,” he told her, a nervous smile on his face.

Closing her eyes and shaking her head, she fired back, “You’re lying to me, and you know it.”

“Rey.”At the dark edging of his voice, she opened her eyes and found him coming to stand in front of her.She kept her eyes on his and he looked down at her intently.“Are you absolutely sure you want to know?”

Instinctively glancing down at his lips, she demanded, “Tell me, Ben.”

He stared at her for a moment before beginning, “Snoke was an awful man, Rey.He actively did things to hurt me and Hux, and to hurt the firm Poe worked at that my mother supported.On top of that, he had me and Hux defending the murderers and rapists he was close with.When Hux and I decided to push him out, we also decided that we wanted to burn everything he had worked for and rebuild from the ground up.This meant we had to keep him quiet, and there was no way he would stay quiet without us making him.

“Poe knew some people, could pull a lot of dangerous strings, and suddenly, we had full access to Snoke’s mansion.I was a bad kid, Rey, which meant I was the only one who could stomach killing another human being.I had Poe and Hux to help me cover it up, so we did it.

“Poe and I got into Snoke’s mansion, and Hux provided us with alibis in case we got questioned.Poe kept watch while I killed Snoke in his sleep.That was it, and we were done.The cops barely even investigated the case because Snoke was so terrible.And it was over.”

It took Rey several moments to process that Ben had actually killed a man and then a few more moments to realize she was crying.As she buried her face in her hands, Ben continued, “And I’m so sorry, Rey.I know that I’ve broken your trust, but you have to see that I was only trying to protect my friends and family.”

She took one more moment to come to grips with what she’d have to admit.Then she pulled her hand away and met his eyes again.Without any preface, she started, “When I was seventeen, the night before I turned eighteen, Rose, Finn, Paige, and I were trying to celebrate my birthday.It was the first time we had all been together in a foster home for any of our birthdays, so we were a little loud and rambunctious.The man who was fostering us had asked us a few times to quiet down.We were just teenagers, Ben.All we wanted was to have a good time for my birthday.

“He just got tired of us, I guess.He came into the living room screaming his head off at us.Paige was the only one brave enough to stand up to him, so she told him to back off.He hit her in the face, and I just lost it.He kept this metal bat over in the corner because he would use it to smash the rats the house was infested with.I was just so sick of him hurting my friends, so I hit him with that bat and just kept hitting him.I didn’t stop until he was unrecognizable.

“We spent the night cleaning the house and hiding any evidence of what had happened.We got rid of his car and told the cops that he had taken off.Paige and I got an apartment together and took Rose and Finn into our care until they were of age.We never told anyone.We just carried on with life as if it hadn’t happened.”

The couple stared at each other, both of them processing the information bombs they had just received.Rey was almost positive that Ben was going to leave her here and now, but he just narrowed his eyes at her.“That’s why everyone is afraid of you?Because you killed someone?”She licked her lips and nodded her head.“And that’s what you meant when you told Luke that you were dangerous as well.”Letting her eyes fall, he nodded again.

His eyes roamed her face for several seconds before gently grabbing the back of her head and wrapping an arm around her waist.Her eyes widened as he pulled her into a kiss.She went to throw her arms around his neck, but he pulled her in a little too fast and her forearms slammed against his chest.The kiss was awkward and wet, but she still moved to wrap her arms around his neck.

It was only a second before he pulled away and looked at her with the most adoring eyes.His hands moving to cup her jaw, he whispered to her, “Are you telling me that you practically threatened to kill Luke because he simply showed up?”

She shrugged and explained, “I mean, I was just implying what I was capable of.But if he does hurt you, I won’t fucking hesitate, Ben.”

He laughed and shook his head, his eyes filling with tears as well.“Rey, I’m so in love with you.”As he pressed his forehead to hers, this jittery, giddy feeling swelled in her chest.Maz was right, she just needed to let go of her past and forgive her mistakes.

“I’m in love with you too, Ben,” she giggled while he slid a hand down to caress her growing stomach.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chewie warns them, Luke warns them, and Ben realizes what he has to do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it's been awhile, huh? life got really busy for a second, but here's another chapter. i hope everyone had some happy holidays. let me know how you think it's going to go in the comments :)
> 
> twitter: mttrailblazer20  
> tumblr: mttrlblzr2020

Things got strange in the oncoming weeks.For one, Ben wouldn’t stop making jokes about how their child would be a “lady-killer” no matter the gender. Though it was an absolutely inappropriate joke, it never failed to make Rey chuckle.She was just glad he didn’t say it in front of anyone.

Another thing was that Ben would always check the apartment whenever they came home.He’d make Rey stay in the car and quickly go through the place to make sure they hadn’t gotten any unwarranted visitors.Rey understood, and it proved to make her a little more comfortable.

The third and final thing was that Han and Chewie seemed to … avoid each other at work.She didn’t think that they meant for her to notice, but they weren’t exactly subtle about it.It seemed as though they had just made the decision to stay out of each other’s ways.It was strange and Rey didn’t know how to handle it.She felt like a child whose parents were going through a divorce, which was strange seeing as she had never experienced anything close to that.

Then there was one day that Chewie followed them out to the Falcon when Ben picked her up.She could tell by the way that Ben nodded at her to get in the car that he didn’t want her to hear what he was about to talk about with his uncle, but it was inevitable.They were standing right there.

So, as she sat in the passenger seat, she listened to Ben and Chewie quietly talk about Han.“Listen, kid, your dad’s been talking to Luke.”Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Ben’s whole posture sink. 

“Are you sure?He said he hadn’t heard from him.”

“Look at me, Ben, how do you think he knew who Rey was?It’s not like she’s exactly public knowledge.”Anger swirled violently in her stomach at the idea of Han betraying his son, just like it seemed he had all those years ago.Maybe he had never stopped.“I don’t know that it’s a good idea that she sticks around here anymore.I can make sure she keeps her income, but Luke was here this morning before we came in.”Rey’s back straightened, but she tried so hard to shove the anger down. 

“How do you know?”

“Security cameras.I’ve been checking every morning since she started working here.I’ve been looking out for Rey just as much as you’ve been, Ben.She’s a good kid, deserves the world.”That calmed the storm brewing in her chest, and her eyes filled to the brim with tears.

Ben responded, “We don’t need her income.The money I’ve saved along with my paycheck is enough to keep us afloat.”A beat passed, and he shuffled, his hand going up to rub at his forehead.Then he continued, “Tell me what to do, Chewie.How do I even begin to approach fixing this?” 

Rey closed her eyes in anguish while, outside of the car, Chewie shook his head.“I don’t know, Ben.I wish I could fix it for you.I wish I could go back and change the past so this wasn’t even an issue.Your mom would know exactly what to do.”Another beat of silence passed, and then Ben stepped forward and wrapped his arms around his uncle’s shoulders.Chewie instantly hugged the younger man back.“I love you, Ben, like you’re my own son.”

“I miss my mom, Uncle.”That was what sent the tears down Rey’s face, that little admittance.She didn’t have a mom to miss, but she had never related to anything more.“I don’t know what I’m going to do, but I’ll figure out and call you.”

Chewie patted Ben on the shoulder and responded, “You can do this, Ben.You’re one of the strongest men I know.You’ve always got me in your corner.”

“I love you, Uncle.”There was one more moment of hugging before Chewie turned and went back into the garage.Ben stood there for a second, probably processing the whole event.God, Rey wished she could fix this, just like Chewie wished.

Then he slid into the driver’s seat, and Rey kept her head down, not wanting to reveal her tears or the fact that she had been eavesdropping in on their conversation, even though he probably already knew.He didn’t start the engine, made no move to leave the garage’s small parking lot.After a minute, she heard him sniff and knew he was crying as well.

“I’m sorry, Ben,” she started, and her boyfriend faced her.“You deserve better than an uncle who lost it and tried to kill you.No matter what Han believes, you deserve better than the way he’s treating you right now.”She swallowed the large lump in her throat and turned to face him as well.As she gently rested her hand on top of his that was sitting on the console, he just gazed into her eyes.“I love you, Ben.I wish I could give you better.”Then she turned back to the busy street in front of them and watched all the cars passing them by.

Ben continued to study her face silently for one more second before responding, “You give me better with every breath you take.”Her cheeks burned as she looked at him again.“Every morning that I wake up with your face on the pillow next to mine …”He trailed off as if the thought made him too emotional to continue and gave her a broken smile.With the hand that wasn’t holding his, she reached up and cupped his jaw, her thumb sliding across his chapped lips.

“We’ll make this better.I don’t know how, but we’ll make this better,” she promised, and he leaned forward to press their foreheads together.She focused on breathing him in, breathing the man she wanted to spend the rest of her life with in.

“Sometimes, I think about taking you and packing everything up and running to the middle of nowhere where no one can find us.I want us to have this kid and another and another and just make a family of our own.Fuck everyone else, let’s just make our own little world.”

She pulled away and looked at the father of her child.He opened his eyes and gave her this nervous look.But all she had to say was, “Okay.Let’s do it.”

The dark look that’d been in his eyes since he got into the car brightened quite a bit, and he inhaled sharply.“We have a lot of loose ends to tie up first,” he told her, as if it would deter her.

She shrugged and responded, “Okay, so let’s tie them up.”He inspected her face for several seconds, like he thought she was lying.When he realized that she was, in fact, not lying to him, he turned to face the street in front of them and smiled so widely that she fell in love with him all over again.

“You are the most amazing person I’ve ever met, Rey Johnson.”That put a smile of the same width on her face, and she couldn’t stop the giggle that slipped from her lips.He swiveled his head back to her, and she scrunched her nose up.

“I think the exact same about you, Benjamin Solo.”

They grinned at each other, and he declared, “My mom would’ve loved you, Rey.Probably more than she loved me, and strangely enough, I would’ve been okay with that.”Rey couldn’t help the warmth that spread through her entire being at that.She was so glad that everyone felt she really fit in.She just wanted to be enough for Ben.

With that, the couple went home.Ben left her in the car to do his usual perimeter check, and, though they both knew she’d be able to handle herself, she indulged him.When he came out to grab her and his work bag, she figured that it was good to go.She smiled up at him and left a sweet kiss on his cheek before leading him inside.

Her stomach dropped when she saw Luke on the couch in their living room.At first, Ben didn’t notice, going about unloading his things onto the table in the front room.Luke just smiled politely at Rey, and she had to take several deep, calming breaths.Then she greeted, “Hello, Luke.”

“What are you talking about?” Ben chuckled, turning to face her.He stopped when he saw his uncle sitting on their couch.

“Rey, Ben, how are you two?”Rey could _feel_ Ben trembling next to her, so she reached out and shoved him behind her a little bit.

Keeping her hand on his forearm so that she could attempt to keep him here in the moment, she replied to Luke, “What are you doing here?”

“I’ve realized you’re not going to leave Ben, so I’m going to have to talk to the two of you.”He turned his head just slightly to make eye contact with Ben and opened his mouth to speak. 

Some possessive snake curled in Rey’s stomach and she snapped, “Don’t talk to him.Don’t even look at him.”Luke’s eyebrows shot up as she continued, “I know what you’ve done, Skywalker.If you think I’m going to let you anywhere near him, you’re dead wrong.”He gazed at her closely, like he could get a read on her whole personality just by her outward appearance.She let him have his moment and turned to Ben.The fear and anger in his eyes made him look so much younger in this moment.“Why don’t you go out to the car?I can handle this.”

His dark eyebrows knitting together, he tilted his head forward to look at her and responded, “Are you kidding me?I’m not leaving you here alone with him.”

She sighed in frustration, but Luke interrupted them and said, “You’re pregnant with Ben’s child.”She quickly span around to look at the old man.

Before she could tell him to shut up, Ben was right at her back with his finger pointed at his uncle.“I bet you already knew that from the way you’ve been talking with my dad.”

Luke chuckled and responded, “Your dad hates me, Ben.He wants absolutely nothing to do with me.”Both Ben and Rey furrowed their eyebrows.“The only reason he’s been willing to talk to me recently is because of the danger you’re both in.”

“What, what danger?” Rey scoffed.Ben grabbed her waist as if to continue grounding himself, and she let him.

“Ben, do you remember the stories I told you about Palpatine when you were with me?”While he nodded behind her, she frowned in confusion because the name sounded familiar.Maybe Ben had mentioned it to her …“Well, apparently, he’s back for Skywalker blood.”Ben’s large hands tightened around her waist, and she breathed deeply.“He tried to use Snoke to get to you.You killed Snoke before he could really do any damage.”

“How do you know that?” Rey had to ask, and the old man smiled patiently at her.

“The rest of the world turned a blind eye because Snoke was an awful man, but if you look closely enough, it’s obvious.”Then he smiled a little condescendingly and continued, “And the same goes for your foster father right before you turned eighteen.”Her blood ran cold at this man knowing her dark secrets when this was only the second time she’d spoken to him.

Before she could say anything about that, he looked back to Ben and stated, “This is all to say, you need to protect your child, Ben.Palpatine will come for us like nothing else, just because we have Skywalker blood in your veins.”

The large man behind her scoffed and shook his head.“I’ll protect my family, but you can fuck off, Luke.I don’t need you to look out for me when you never have before.”His uncle gave a sigh of acceptance and stood from the couch.

“I suppose that’s all I can ask for.”He walked closer to them and, despite Ben tugging her back, Rey stood her ground and looked deeply into Luke’s blue eyes.“If you need my help, Rey, you may always reach out, no matter what Ben wants.”She just stared at him while he faced Ben once more.“I'll see you around, kid.”Then he left and shut the door behind him.

Rey’s knees trembled like jelly, so she made to sit down on the couch while Ben just stayed there and let his chest heave with violent breaths.She put her hands on her knees and looked up at her boyfriend, finding him already looking down at her.“How did he get in here?I thought you had run your little perimeter check,” is what she managed to push out of her tightening throat.

Resting his hands on his hips, he shakily replied, “I did.He wasn’t in here when I first walked in.He must have waited until I went out to get you to come in.”Frantically, she glanced around the apartment and tried to make sense of what had just happened.“I’m sorry, Rey.If I had known he was in here, I would have never let you walk through that door.”

Looking back up at him, she shook her head and responded, “We were going to have to face this at one point, Ben.It was inevitable.You realize … if he can get in here that easily, we’re not safe here.”He nodded in understanding, his anger slipping into sadness. 

So many questions raced through Rey’s brain.Why had Han felt the need to lie to them about this?How did Luke even get into the gated community?What were they going to do from here?“Who is Palpatine?” is the one question she could manage to ask aloud.

Finally, Ben moved to sit beside her and took her hand.“So, way before my parents were born, he was a Senator.My grandma, Padmé Amidala, worked in the Senate with him.My granddad, Anakin Skywalker, was her body guard.He manipulated them so that he could rise to power.He was very close to becoming the President of the United States at one point.Either way, he got Anakin to kill people for him, and right before it was too late, Padmé realized what he was doing.By that time, she was already pregnant with my mom and Luke, and she begged Anakin to reveal all that he knew to the president so that they could get rid of him and the Skywalkers could survive.

“Palpatine had already driven him mad and convinced him that he was _destined for greatness_.He strangled Padmé, and the man who I’m named after, Obi-Wan Kenobi, saved her.He and Anakin fought, like full-on punches and everything, even though he had been the one to train Anakin as a body guard.He left Anakin to die and took Padmé to the hospital.She died giving birth to my mom and Luke, and Anakin renamed himself as Darth Vader.While Palpatine continued to use Anakin, Luke and Leia got separated.Leia went to another senator that Padmé trusted, and Obi-Wan took Luke to Anakin’s step-brother, who would keep him safe.

“They never told Luke or Leia about Anakin, or even about each other.Eventually, they came together at a protest against the bills that Palpatine was putting through congress or whatever.That’s where they met my dad, too, which I think is hilarious.Anyway, both my mom and Luke rose throughout the organization that was protesting, and Luke ended up face to face with both Palpatine and Darth Vader.Palpatine wanted Luke to kill Anakin and take his place, so Anakin and Luke fought, just like Obi-Wan and Anakin had all those years ago.

“Then they realized that they were related and they couldn’t kill each other.Palpatine went to do it himself, and Anakin killed him instead.”Rey’s eyes widened at the fact that Anakin had done the right thing.Then she looked closely at Ben and realized his eyes had glazed over.“Well, everyone thought Anakin had killed him, but I guess he hadn’t.Either way, in the struggle, Palpatine ended up killing Anakin as well.Basically, he’s someone who has terrorized my family since the beginning.”

He turned and made eye contact with her.As he sniffled, she tried to process all of that.“I’m confused.Luke couldn’t kill his murderous father, but he could turn around and try to kill his innocent nephew?”That punched a guttural laugh out of Ben, and she furrowed her eyebrows at him.

“I wonder the same thing all the time, Rey.It’s fucking incredible.”After a moment, a tear fell from his eye, and Rey squeezed his hand tightly.“I used to look up to that man, like he was everything to me.Why wasn’t I worth saving?”

That brought tears to her eyes as well, and she brought his hand up to her lips.“You are, Ben.You are worth saving.I’ll save you every time.”His eyes were filled with a sad admiration, and he pressed his forehead to hers.

“I’m so tired, Rey.Tired of this, tired of everything but you.”She reached up and pushed his hair behind his ears.“I have to talk to Chewie and my dad.I have to keep you safe, Rey, you and our kid, no matter what.”

“I’ll be right here to keep you safe as well, Ben.”He nuzzled his nose against hers for a second before pressing his lips to hers.The kiss was chaste and warm, and he pulled away after a moment.

“I have to go call Chewie.”Her shoulders sank as he stood and left the room, grabbing his phone and taking it with him.

She needed to figure out how to rid him of the stress he was taking on because of this.Maybe she could talk to Armie and Poe about this, because he was spreading himself too thin just thinking about protecting her.She still couldn’t figure out why the name Palpatine was so familiar to her.


End file.
